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LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


'"ARE    YOU    THE    EARL?'    SAID    CEDRIC.       'I  'M    YOUR    GRANDSON.       I  'M    LORD    FAUNTLEROY. 


Little  Lord  Fauntleroy 


BY 


FRANCES  HODGSON  BURNETT 


NEW-YORK 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1889 


Copyright,  1886,  by 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


Press  of  J.  J.  Little   &  Co. 
Astor  Place,   New  York. 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


\ 

FROM  DRAWINGS  BY   REGINALD    B.    BIRCH. 


" Are  y on  the  Earl?"  said  Cedric  ;  "  1 'm  your  grandson.     I'm 

Lord  Fauntleroy." Frontispiece. 

Vignette Title-page. 

"So  this  is  little  Lord  Fauntleroy." Page       n 

"Mr.  Hobbs,"  said  Cedric,  "an  Earl  is  sitting  on  this  box  now!  "  .  "         15 

The  Race "        2j 

"  I  used  to  think  I  might  perhaps  be  a  President,  but  I  never  thought 

of  being  an  Earl,"  said  Ceddie "        30 

^      "  I  have  to  go  to  England  and  be  a  Lord." "        41 

*i        Dick  boards  the  steamer  to  bid  good-bye  to  Lord  Fauntleroy.        .  45 

IX 


x  LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Vignette Page      48 

Jerry  narrates  some  of  bis  Adventures "        53 

The  big  cat  was  purring  in  drowsy  content ;  sbe  liked  tbe  caressing 

toucb  of  tbe  hind  little  bdnd "        57 

Tbe  gates  were  opened  by  a  woman  and  two  children  who  came  out 

of  a  pretty  ivy-covered  lodge "        65 

"Just  lean  on  me,"  said  little  Lord  Fauntleroy.      I  '11  walk  very 

slowly."       **       80 

Lord  Fauntleroy  writes  a  letter "      103 

Here  lyeth  ye  bodye  of  Gregory e  Arthur e  Fyrst  Earle  of  Dorin- 

court    Allsoe  of  Alisone  Hildegarde  bys  wyfe "      116 

"  I've  a  great  deal  to  thank  your  Lordship  for ,"  said  Higgins.        .  "118 

Wilhins  was  carrying  his  bat  for  him,  and  bis  hair  was  flying,  but 

be  came  back  at  a  brisk  canter.         "725 

"  Up  the  lad  has  to  get,  and  my  Lord  trudges  alongside  of  bint  with 

his  bands  in  his  pockets." '*      130 

The  workmen  liked  to  see  him  stand  among  them,  talking  away, 

with  his  hands  in  his  pockets "144 

"  I  was  thinking  how  beautiful  you  are,"  said  Lord  Fauntleroy.      .  "      753 

4 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  xi 

"  Why,  Boss !  "  exclaimed  Dick,  "  do  you  know  him  yourself  ?"     ,  Page  166 
"Shall  I  be  your  boy,  even  if  I'm  not  going  to  be  an  Earl?  "  said 

Cedric "  iy8 

She  was  told  by  the  footman  at  the  door  that  the  Earl  would  not 

see  her "  181 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  you  want  me}"  said  Mrs.  Errol.     ...  "  iq8 

"  My  grandfather  says  these  are  my  ancestors,"  said  Fauntleroy.  "  202 

Lord  Fauntleroy  makes  a  §peech  to  the  tenants "  20J 


LITTLE    LORD    FAUNTLEROY. 


I 

Cedric  himself  knew  nothing  whatever  about  it.  It  had  never 
been  even  mentioned  to  him.  He  knew  that  his  papa  had 
been  an  Englishman,  because  his  mamma  had  told  him  so ; 
but  then  his  papa  had  died  when  he  was  so  little  a  boy  that  he  could 
not  remember  very  much  about  him,  except  that  he  was  big,  and 
had  blue  eyes  and  a  long  mustache,  and  that  it  was  a  splendid  thing 
to  be  carried  around  the  room  on  his  shoulder.  Since  his  papa's 
death,  Cedric  had  found  out  that  it  was  best  not  to  talk  to  his 
mamma  about  him.  When  his  father  was  ill,  Cedric  had  been  sent 
away,  and  when  he  had  returned,  everything  was  over ;  and  his 
mother,  who  had  been  very  ilL,  too,  was  only  just  beginning  to  sit 
in  her  chair  by  the  window.  She  was  pale  and  thin,  and  all  the 
dimples  had  gone  from  her  pretty  face,  and  her  eyes  looked  large 
and  mournful,  and  she  was  dressed  in  black. 

"Dearest,"  said  Cedric  (his  papa  had  called  her  that  always,  and 
so  the  little  boy  had  learned  to  say  it), — "dearest,  is  my  papa 
better?" 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


He  felt  her  arms  tremble,  and  so  he  turned  his  curly  head  and 
looked  in  her  face.  There  was  something  in  it  that  made  him 
feel  that  he  was  going  to  cry. 

"Dearest,"  he  said,  "is  he  well?" 

Then  suddenly  his  loving  little  heart  told  him  that  he'd  better 
put  both  his  arms  around  her  neck  and  kiss  her  again  and  again, 
and  keep  his  soft  cheek  close  to  hers  ;  and  he  did  so,  and  she  laid 
her  face  on  his  shoulder  and  cried  bitterly,  holding  him  as  if  she 
could  never  let  him  go  again. 

"  Yes,  he  is  well,"  she  sobbed ;    "  he  is  quite,  quite  well,  but  we  — 
we  have  no  one  left  but  each  other.      No  one  at  all." 

Then,  little  as  he  was,  he  understood  that  his  big,  handsome 
young  papa  would  not  come  back  any  more ;  that  he  was  dead,  as 
he  had  heard  of  other  people  being,  although  he  could  not  compre- 
hend exactly  what  strange  thing  had  brought  all  this  sadness  about. 
It  was  because  his  mamma  always  cried  when  he  spoke  of  his  papa 
that  he  secretly  made  up  his  mind  it  was  better  not  to  speak  of  him 
very  often  to  her,  and  he  found  out,  too,  that  it  was  better  not  to  let 
her  sit  still  and  look  into  the  fire  or  out  of  the  window  without 
moving  or  talking.  He  and  his  mamma  knew  very  few  people,  and 
lived  what  might  have  been  thought  very  lonely  lives,  although 
Cedric  did  not  know  it  was  lonely  until  he  grew  older  and  heard 
why  it  was  they  had  no  visitors.  Then  he  was  told  that  his  mamma 
was  an  orphan,  and  quite  alone  in  the  world  when  his  papa  had 
married  her.  She  was  very  pretty,  and  had  been  living  as  compan- 
ion to  a  rich  old  lady  who  was  not  kind  to  her,  and  one  day  Captain 
Cedric  Errol,  who  was  calling  at  the  house,  saw  her  run  up  the 
stairs  with  tears  on  her  eyelashes ;  and  she  looked  so  sweet  and 
innocent  and  sorrowful  that  the  Captain  could  not  forget  her.  And 
after  many  strange  things  had  happened,  they  knew  each  other  well 
and  loved  each  other  dearly,  and  were  married,  although  their  mar- 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


riage  brought  them  the  ill-will  of  several  persons.  The  one  who 
was  most  angry  of  all,  however,  was  the  Captain's  father,  who  lived 
in  England,  and  was  a  very  rich  and  important  old  nobleman,  with 
a  very  bad  temper  and  a  very  violent  dislike  to  America  and  Amer- 
icans. He  had  two  sons  older  than  Captain  Cedric  ;  and  it  was  the 
law  that  the  elder  of  these  sons  should  inherit  the  family  title  and 
estates,  which  were  very  rich  and  splendid ;  if  the  eldest  son  died, 
the  next  one  would  be  heir ;  so,  though  he  was  a  member  of  such  a 
great  family,  there  was  little  chance  that  Captain  Cedric  would  be 
very  rich  himself. 

But  it  so  happened  that  Nature  had  given  to  the  youngest  son 
gifts  which  she  had  not  bestowed  upon  his  elder  brothers.  He  had 
a  beautiful  face  and  a  fine,  strong,  graceful  figure ;  he  had  a  bright 
smile  and  a  sweet,  gay  voice  ;  he  was  brave  and  generous,  and  had 
the  kindest  heart  in  the  world,  and  seemed  to  have  the  power  to 
make  every  one  love  him.  And  it  was  not  so  with  his  elder  brothers; 
neither  of  them  was  handsome,  or  very  kind,  or  clever.  When  they 
were  boys  at  Eton,  they  were  not  popular ;  when  they  were  at  col- 
lege, they  cared  nothing  for  study,  and  wasted  both  time  and  money, 
and  made  few  real  friends.  The  old  Earl,  their  father,  was  constantly 
disappointed  and  humiliated  by  them  ;  his  heir'was  no  honor  to  his 
noble  name,  and  did  not  promise  to  end  in  being  anything  but  a 
selfish,  wasteful,  insignificant  man,  with  no  manly  or  noble  qualities. 
It  was  very  bitter,  the  old  Earl  thought,  that  the  son  who  was  only 
third,  and  would  have  only  a  very  small  fortune,  should  be  the  one 
who  had  all  the  gifts,  and  all  the  charms,  and  all  the  strength  and 
beauty.  Sometimes  he  almost  hated  the  handsome  young  man 
because  he  seemed  to  have  the  good  things  which  should  have  gone 
with  the  stately  title  and  the  magnificent  estates  ;  and  yet,  in  the 
depths  of  his  proud,  stubborn  old  heart,  he  could  not  help  caring 
very  much  for  his  youngest  son.      It  was  in  one  of  his  fits  of  petu- 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


lance  that  he  sent  him  off  to  travel  in  America;  he  thought  he  would 
send  him  r.way  for  a  while,  so  that  he  should  not  be  made  angry  by 
constantly  contrasting  him  with  his  brothers,  who  were  at  that  time 
giving  him  a  great  deal  of  trouble  by  their  wild  ways. 

But,  after  about  six  months,  he  began  to  feel  lonely,  and  longed 
in  secret  to  see  his  son  again,  so  he  wrote  to  Captain  Cedric  and 
ordered  him  home.  The  letter  he  wrote  crossed  on  its  way  a  letter 
the  Captain  had  just  written  to  his  father,  telling  of  his  love  for  the 
pretty  American  girl,  and  of  his  intended  marriage ;  and  when  the 
Earl  received  that  letter  he  was  furiously  angry.  Bad  as  his  temper 
was,  he  had  never  given  way  to  it  in  his  life  as  he  gave  way  to  it 
when  he  read  the  Captain's  letter.  His  valet,  who  was  in  the  room 
when  it  came,  thought  his  lordship  would  have  a  fit  of  apoplexy,  he 
was  so  wild  with  anger.  For  an  hour  he  raged  like  a  tiger,  and  then 
he  sat  down  and  wrote  to  his  son,  and  ordered  him  never  to  come 
near  his  old  home,  nor  to  write  to  his  father  or  brothers  again.  He 
told  him  he  might  live  as  he  pleased,  and  die  where  he  pleased,  that 
he  should  be  cut  off  from  his  family  forever,  and  that  he  need  never 
expect  help  from  his  father  as  long  as  he  lived. 

The  Captain  was  very  sad  when  he  read  the  letter;  he  was  very 
fond  of  England,  and  he  dearly  loved  the  beautiful  home  where  he 
had  been  born  ;  he  had  even  loved  his  ill-tempered  old  father,  and 
had  sympathized  with  him  in  his  disappointments  ;  but  he  knew  he 
need  expect  no  kindness  from  him  in  the  future.  At  first  he  scarcely 
knew  what  to  do ;  he  had  not  been  brought  up  to  work,  and  had  no 
business  experience,  but  he  had  courage  and  plenty  of  determination. 
So  he  sold  his  commission  in  the  English  army,  and  after  some 
trouble  found  a  situation  in  New  York,  and  married.  The  change 
from  his  old  life  in  England  was  very  great,  but  he  was  young  and 
happy,  and  he  hoped  that  hard  work  would  do  great  things  for  him 
in  the  future.      He  had  a  small  house  on  a  quiet  street,  and  his  little 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


boy  was  born  there,  and  everything  was  so  gay  and  cheerful,  in  a 
simple  way,  that  he  was  never  sorry  for  a  moment  that  he  had  mar- 
ried the  rich  old  lady's  pretty  companion  just  because  she  was  so 
sweet  and  he  loved  her  and  she  loved  him.  She  was  very  sweet, 
indeed,  and  her  little  boy  was  like  both  her  and  his  father.  Though 
he  was  born  in  so  quiet  and  cheap  a  little  home,  it  seemed  as  if  there 
never  had  been  a  more  fortunate  baby.  In  the  first  place,  he  was 
always  well,  and  so  he  never  gave  any  one  trouble  ;  in  the  second 
place,  he  had  so  sweet  a  temper  and  ways  so  charming  that  he  was 
a  pleasure  to  every  one  ;  and  in  the  third  place,  he  was  so  beautiful 
to  look  at  that  he  was  quite  a  picture.  Instead  of  being  a  bald- 
headed  baby,  he  started  in  life  with  a  quantity  of  soft,  fine,  gold- 
colored  hair,  which  curled  up  at  the  ends,  and  went  into  loose  rings 
by  the  time  he  was  six  months  old ;  he  had  big  brown  eyes  and  long 
eyelashes  and  a  darling  little  face  ;  he  had  so  strong  a  back  and 
such  splendid  sturdy  legs,  that  at  nine  months  he  learned  suddenly  to 
walk;  his  manners  were  so  good,  for  a  baby,  that  it  was  delightful 
to  make  his  acquaintance.  He  seemed  to  feel  that  every  one  was 
his  friend,  and  when  any  one  spoke  to  him,  when  he  was  in  his  car- 
riage in  the  street,  he  would  give  the  stranger  one  sweet,  serious 
look  with  the  brown  eyes,  and  then  follow  it  with  a  lovely,  friendly 
smile  ;  and  the  consequence  was,  that  there  was  not  a  person  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  quiet  street  where  he  lived  —  even  to  the  gro- 
ceryman  at  the  corner,  who  was  considered  the  crossest  creature 
alive  —  who  was  not  pleased  to  see  him  and  speak  to  him.  And 
every  month  cf  his  life  he  grew  handsomer  and  more  interesting. 

When  he  was  old  enough  to  walk  out  with  his  nurse,  dragging 
a  small  wagon  and  wearing  a  short  white  kilt  skirt,  and  a  big  white 
hat  set  back  on  his  curly  yellow  hair,  he  was  so  handsome  and 
strong  and  rosy  that  he  attracted  every  one's  attention,  and  his  nurse 
would  come  home  and  tell  his  mamma  stories  of  the  ladies  who  had 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


stopped  their  carriages  to  look  at  and  speak  to  him,  and  of  how 
pleased  they  were  when  he  talked  to  them  in  his  cheerful  little  way. 
as  if  he  had  known  them  always.  His  greatest  charm  was  this 
cheerful,  fearless,  quaint  little  way  of  making  friends  with  people. 
I  think  it  arose  from  his  having  a  very  confiding  nature,  and  a  kind 
little  heart  that  sympathized  with  every  one,  and  wished  to  make 
every  one  as  comfortable  as  he  liked  to  be  himself.  It  made  him 
very  quick  to  understand  the  feelings  of  those  about  him.  Perhaps 
this  had  grown  on  him,  too,  because  he  had  lived  so  much  with  his 
father  and  mother,  who  were  always  loving  and  considerate  and 
tender  and  well-bred.  He  had  never  heard  an  unkind  or  uncourt- 
eous  word  spoken  at  home  ;  he  had  always  been  loved  and  caressed 
and  treated  tenderly,  and  so  his  childish  soul  was  full  of  kindness 
and  innocent  warm  feeling.  He  had  always  heard  his  mamma 
called  by  pretty,  loving  names,  and  so  he  used  them  himself  when 
he  spoke  to  her ;  he  had  always  seen  that  his  papa  watched  over 
her  and  took  great  care  of  her,  and  so  he  learned,  too,  to  be  careful 
of  her. 

So  when  he  knew  his  papa  would  come  back  no  more,  and  saw 
how  very  sad  his  mamma  was,  there  gradually  came  into  his  kind 
little  heart  the  thought  that  he  must  do  what  he  could  to  make  her 
happy.  He  was  not  much  more  than  a  baby,  but  that  thought  was 
in  his  mind  whenever  he  climbed  upon  her  knee  and  kissed  her  and 
put  his  curly  head  on  her  neck,  and  when  he  brought  his  toys  and 
picture-books  to  show  her,  and  when  he  curled  up  quietly  by  her 
side  as  she  used  to  lie  on  the  sofa.  He  was  not  old  enough  to  know 
of  anything  else  to  do,  so  he  did  what  he  could,  and  was  more  of  a 
comfort  to  her  than  he  could  have  understood. 

"  Oh,  Mary  !  "  he  heard  her  say  once  to  her  old  servant ;  "  I 
am  sure  he  is  trying  to  help  me  in  his  innocent  way — I  know 
he  is.      He  looks  at  me  sometimes  with  a  loving,   wondering  little 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


look,  as  if  he  were  sorry  for  me,  and  then  he  will  come  and  pet  me 
or  show  me  something.  He  is  such  a  little  man,  I  really  think 
he  knows." 

As  he  grew  older,  he  had  a  great  many  quaint  little  ways  which 
amused  and  interested  people  greatly.  He  was  so  much  of  a  com- 
panion for  his  mother  that  she  scarcely  cared  for  any  other.  They 
used  to  walk  together  and  talk  together  and  play  together.  When 
he  was  quite  a  little  fellow,  he  learned  to  read  ;  and  after  that  he 
used  to  lie  on  the  hearth-rug,  in  the  evening,  and  read  aloud — some- 
times stories,  and  sometimes  big  books  such  as  older  people  read, 
and  sometimes  even  the  newspaper  ;  and  often  at  such  times  Mary, 
in  the  kitchen,  would  hear  Mrs.  Errol  laughing  with  delight  at  the 
quaint  things  he  said. 

"  And,  indade,"  said  Mary  to  the  groceryman,  "  nobody  cud  help 
laughin'  at  the  quare  little  ways  of  him — and  his  ould-fashioned 
sayin's  !  Did  n't  he  come  into  my  kitchen  the  noight  the  new  Prisi- 
dent  was  nominated  and  shtand  afore  the  fire,  lookin'  loike  a  pictur', 
wid  his  hands  in  his  shmall  pockets,  an'  his  innocent  bit  of  a  face  as 
sayrious  as  a  jedge  ?  An'  sez  he  to  me:  '  Mary,'  sez  he,  '  I  'm  very 
much  int'rusted  in  the  'lection,'  sez  he.  '  I  'm  a  'publican,  an'  so  is 
Dearest.  Are  you  a  'publican,  Mary  ?  '  '  Sorra  a  bit,'  sez  I  ;  '  I  'm 
the  bist  o'  dimmycrats  !  '  An'  he  looks  up  at  me  wid  a  look  that  ud 
go  to  yer  heart,  an'  sez  he  :  '  Mary,'  sez  he,  '  the  country  will  go  to 
ruin.'  An'  nivver  a  day  since  thin  has  he  let  go  by  widout  argyin' 
wid  me  to  change  me  polytics." 

Mary  was  very  fond  of  him,  and  very  proud  of  him,  too.  She 
had  been  with  his  mother  ever  since  he  was  born  ;  and,  after  his 
father's  death,  had  been  cook  and  housemaid  and  nurse  and  every- 
thing else.  She  was  proud  of  his  graceful,  strong  little  body  and 
his  pretty  manners,  and  especially  proud  of  the  bright  curly  hair 
which  waved  over  his  forehead  and  fell  in  charming  love-locks  on 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


his  shoulders.      She  was  willing  to  work  early  and  late  to  help  his 
mamma  make  his  small  suits  and  keep  them  in  order. 

"  'Ristycratic,  is  it  ?  "  she  would  say.  "  Faith,  an'  I  'd  loike  to  see 
the  choild  on  Fifth  Avey-noo  as  looks  loike  him  an'  shteps  out  as 
handsome  as  himself.  An'  ivvery  man,  woman,  and  choild  lookin' 
afther  him  in  his  bit  of  a  black  velvet  skirt  made  out  of  the  mis. 
thress's  ould  gownd  ;  an'  his  little  head  up,  an'  his  curly  hair  flyin' 
an'  shinin'.      It  's  loike  a  young  lord  he  looks." 

Cedric  did  not  know  that  he  looked  like  a  young  lord;  he  did 
not  know  what  a  lord  was.  His  greatest  friend  was  the  groceryman 
at  the  corner — the  cross  groceryman,  who  was  never  cross  to  him. 
His  name  was  Mr.  Hobbs,  and  Cedric  admired  and  respected  him 
very  much.  He  thought  him  a  very  rich  and  powerful  person,  he 
had  so  many  things  in  his  store, — prunes  and  figs  and  oranges  and 
biscuits, — and  he  had  a  horse  and  wagon.  Cedric  was  fond  of  the 
milkman  and  the  baker  and  the  apple-woman,  but  he  liked  Mr. 
Hobbs  best  of  all,  and  was  on  terms  of  such  intimacy  with  him  that 
he  went  to  see  him  every  dav,  and  often  sat  with  him  quite  a  long 
time,  discussing  the  topics  of  the  hour.  It  was  quite  surprising  how 
many  things  they  found  to  talk  about — the  Fourth  of  July,  for 
instance.  When  they  began  to  talk  about  the  Fourth  of  July  there 
really  seemed  no  end  to  it.  Mr.  Hobbs  had  a  very  bad  opinion  of 
"the  British,"  and  he  told  the  whole  story  of  the  Revolution,  relat- 
ing very  wonderful  and  patriotic  stories  about  the  villainy  of  the 
enemy  and  the  bravery  of  the  Revolutionary  heroes,  and  he  even 
generously  repeated  part  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
Cedric  was  so  excited  that  his  eyes  shone  and  his  cheeks  were  red 
and  his  curls  were  all  rubbed  and  tumbled  into  a  yellow  mop.  He 
could  hardly  wait  to  eat  his  dinner  after  he  went  home,  he  was  so 
anxious  to  tell  his  mamma.  It  was,  perhaps,  Mr.  Hobbs  who  gave 
him  his  first  interest  in  politics.      Mr.  Hobbs  was  fond  of  reading  the 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  9 


newspapers,  and  so  Cedric  heard  a  great  deal  about  what  was  going 
on  in  Washington  ;  and  Mr.  Hobbs  would  tell  him  whether  the 
President  was  doing  his  duty  or  not.  And  once,  when  there  was  an 
election,  he  found  it  all  quite  grand,  and  probably  but  for  Mr.  Hobbs 
and  Cedric  the  country  might  have  been  wrecked.  Mr.  Hobbs  took 
him  to  see"  a  great  torchlight  procession,  and  many  of  the  men  who 
carried  torches  remembered  afterward  a  stout  man  who  stood  near 
a  lamp-post  and  held  on  his  shoulder  a  handsome  little  shouting 
boy,  who  waved  his  cap  in  the  air. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  election,  when  Cedric  was  between  seven 
and  eight  years  old,  that  the  very  strange  thing  happened  which  made 
so  wonderful  a  change  in  his  life.  It  was  quite  curious,  too,  that  the 
day  it  happened  he  had  been  talking  to  Mr.  Hobbs  about  England 
and  the  Queen,  and  Mr.  Hobbs  had  said  some  very  severe  things 
about  the  aristocracy,  being  specially  indignant  against  earls  and  mar- 
quises. It  had  been  a  hot  morning ;  and  after  playing  soldiers  with 
some  friends  of  his,  Cedric  had  gone  into  the  store  to  rest,  and  had 
found  Mr.  Hobbs  looking  very  fierce  over  a  piece  of  the  Illustrated 
London  News,  which  contained  a  picture  of  some  court  ceremony. 

"Ah,"  he  said,  "  that  's  the  way  they  go  on  now  ;  but  they'll  get 
enough  of  it  some  day,  when  those  they  've  trod  on  rise  and  blow 
'em  up  sky-high,  —  earls  and  marquises  and  all  !  It  's  coming,  and 
they  may  look  out  for  it !  " 

Cedric  had  perched  himself  as  usual  on  the  high  stool  and 
pushed  his  hat  back,  and  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  in  delicate 
compliment  to  Mr.  Hobbs. 

"Did  you  ever  know  many  marquises,  Mr.  Hobbs?"  Cedric 
inquired, — "  or  earls  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  Mr.  Hobbs,  with  indignation  ;  "  I  guess  not. 
I  'd  like  to  catch  one  of  'em  inside  here  ;  that  's  all  !  I  '11  have  no 
grasping  tyrants  sittin'  'round  on  my  cracker-barrels !  " 


IO  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

And  he  was  so  proud  of  the  sentiment  that  he  looked  around 
proudly  and  mopped  his  forehead. 

"  Perhaps  they  would  n't  be  earls  if  they  knew  any  better," 
said  Cedric,  feeling  some  vague  sympathy  for  their  unhappy 
condition. 

"  Would  n't  they  !  "  said  Mr.  Hobbs.  "  They  just  glory  in  it ! 
It  's  in  'em.      They  're  a  bad  lot." 

They  were  in  the  midst  of  their  conversation,  when  Mary 
appeared.  Cedric  thought  she  had  come  to  buy  some  sugar,  per- 
haps, but  she  had  not.  She  looked  almost  pale  and  as  if  she  were 
excited  about  something. 

"  Come  home,  darlint,"  she  said;    "the  misthress  is  wantin'  yez." 
Cedric  slipped  down  from  his  stool. 

"  Does  she  want  me  to  go  out  with  her,  Mary  ? "  he  asked. 
"Good-morning,  Mr.  Hobbs.      I  '11  see  you  again." 

He  was  surprised  to  see  Mary  staring  at  him  in  a  dumfounded 
fashion,  and  he  wondered  why  she  kept  shaking  her  head. 

"  What 's  the  matter,  Mary  ?  "  he  said.      "  Is  it  the  hot  weather  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Mary ;    "but  there  's  strange  things  happenin'  to  us," 

"  Has  the  sun  given  Dearest  a  headache  ?  "  he  inquired  anxiously. 
But  it  was  not  that.  When  he  reached  his  own  house  there 
was  a  coupe  standing  before  the  door,  and  some  one  was  in  the 
little  parlor  talking  to  his  mamma.  Mary  hurried  him  upstairs  and 
put  on  his  best  summer  suit  of  cream-colored  flannel,  with  the  red 
scarf  around  his  waist,  and  combed  out  his  curly  locks. 

"  Lords,  is  it?"  he  heard  her  say.  "An'  the  nobility  an'  gintry. 
Och  !  bad  cess  to  them  !     Lords,  indade  —  worse  luck." 

It  was  really  very  puzzling,  but  he  felt  sure  his  mamma  would 
tell  him  what  all  the  excitement  meant,  so  he  allowed  Mary  to 
bemoan  herself  without  asking  many  questions.  When  he  was 
dressed,  he  ran  downstairs  and  went  into  the  parlor.     A  tall,  thin 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


1 1 


old  gentleman  with  a  sharp  face  was  sitting  in  an  arm-chair.      His 

mother  was  standing   near  by  with   a  pale  face,  and  he   saw  that 

there  were 

tears  in  her  ■   '"I'^iiilliS 

eyes. 

"Oh! 
Ced  die  !  " 
she  cried 
out, and  ran 
to  her  little 
boy  and 
caught  him 
in  her  arms 
and  kissed 
him  in  a 
frightened, 
tro  ubled 
way.  "Oh! 
C  e  d  d  i  e, 
darling !  " 

The  tall 
old  gentle- 
man  rose    from   his   chair  and   looked    at 
Cedric  with  his  sharp  eyes.      He  rubbed  his  thin  chin  with  his  bony 
hand  as  he  looked. 

He  seemed  not  at  all  displeased. 
"And  so,"  he  said  at  last,  slowly, —  "and  so  this  is  little  Lord 
Fauntleroy." 


II 

There  was  never  a  more  amazed  little  boy  than  Cedric  during 
the  week  that  followed  ;  there  was  never  so  strange  or  so 
unreal  a  week.  In  the  first  place,  the  story  his  mamma 
told  him  was  a  very  curious  one.  He  was  obliged  to  hear  it  two  or 
three  times  before  he  could  understand  it.  He  could  not  imagine 
what  Mr.  Hobbs  would  think  of  it.  It  began  with  earls:  his  grand- 
papa, whom  he  had  never  seen,  was  an  earl ;  and  his  eldest  uncle, 
if  he  had  not  been  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse,  would  have  been 
an  earl,  too,  in  time  ;  and  after  his  death,  his  other  uncle  would  have 
been  an  earl,  if  he  had  not  died  suddenly,  in  Rome,  of  a  fever. 
After  that,  his  own  papa,  if  he  had  lived,  would  have  been  an  earl ; 
but,  since  they  all  had  died  and  only  Cedric  was  left,  it  appeared  that 
he  was  to  be  an  earl  after  his  grandpapa's  death  —  and  for  the  pres- 
ent he  was  Lord  Fauntleroy. 

He  turned  quite  pale  when  he  was  first  told  of  it. 
"  Oh  !   Dearest!  "  he  said,  "  I  should  rather  not  be  an  earl.     None 
of  the  boys  are  earls.      Can't  I  not  be  one  ?  " 

But  it  seemed  to  be  unavoidable.  And  when,  that  evening, 
they  sat  together  by  the  open  window  looking  out  into  the  shabby 
street,  he  and  his  mother  had  a  long  talk  about  it.  Cedric  sat  on 
his  footstool,  clasping  one  knee  in  his  favorite  attitude  and  wearing 
a  bewildered  little  face  rather  red  from  the  exertion  of  thinking. 
His  grandfather  had  sent  for  him  to  come  to  England,  and  his 
mamma  thought  he  must  g"o. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY,  1 3 

"  Because,"  she  said,  looking  out  of  the  window  with  sorrowful 
eyes,  "  I  know  your  papa  would  wish  it  to  be  so,  Ceddie.  He  loved 
his  home  very  much  ;  and  there  are  many  things  to  be  thought  of 
that  a  little  boy  can't  quite  understand.  I  should  be  a  selfish  little 
mother  if  I  did  not  send  you.  When  you  are  a  man,  you  will  see 
why." 

Ceddie  shook  his  head  mournfully. 

"  I  shall  be  very  sorry  to  leave  Mr.  Hobbs,"  he  said.  "  I  'm 
afraid  he  '11  miss  me,  and  I  shall  miss  him.  And  I  shall  miss  them 
all." 

When  Mr.  Havisham  —  who  was  the  family  lawyer  of  the  Earl 
of  Dorincourt,  and  who  had  been  sent  by  him  to  bring  Lord  Faunt- 
leroy  to  England  — came  the  next  day,  Cedric  heard  many  things. 
But,  somehow,  it  did  not  console  him  to  hear  that  he  was  to  be  a 
very  rich  man  when  he  grew  up,  and  that  he  would  have  castles 
here  and  castles  there,  and  great  parks  and  deep  mines  and  grand 
estates  and  tenantry.  He  was  troubled  about  his  friend,  Mr.  Hobbs, 
and  he  went  to  see  him  at  the  store  soon  after  breakfast,  in  great 
anxiety  of  mind. 

He  found  him  reading  the  morning  paper,  and  he  approached 
him  with  a  grave  demeanor.  He  really  felt  it  would  be  a  great 
shock  to  Mr.  Hobbs  to  hear  what  had  befallen  him,  and  on  his  way 
to  the  store  he  had  been  thinking  how  it  would  be  best  to  break  the 
news. 

"  Hello  !  "  said  Mr.  Hobbs.      "  Mornin' !  " 

"  Good-morning,"  said  Cedric. 
He  did  not  climb  up  on  the  high  stool  as  usual,  but  sat  down  on 
a   cracker-box   and   clasped   his   knee,  and  was  so  silent  for  a  few 
moments  that  Mr.  Hobbs  finally  looked  up  inquiringly  over  the  top 
of  his  newspaper. 

"  Hello  !  "  he  said  again. 


14  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

Cedric  gathered  all  his  strength  of  mind  together. 

"  Mr.  Hobbs,"  he  said,  "do  you  remember  what  we  were  talking 
about  yesterday  morning  ?  " 

"Well,"  replied  Mr.  Hobbs, — "seems  to  me  it  was  England." 

"Yes,"  said  Cedric;  >."  but  just  when  Mary  came  for  me,  you 
know  ?  " 

Mr.  Hobbs  rubbed  the  back  of  his  head. 

"  We  was  mentioning  Queen  Victoria  and  the  aristocracy." 

"Yes,"  said  Cedric,  rather  hesitatingly,  "and — and  earls;  don't 
you  know  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  returned  Mr.  Hobbs  ;  "  we  did  touch  'em  up  a  little  ; 
that 's  so  !  " 

Cedric  flushed  up  to  the  curly  bang  on  his  forehead.  Nothing 
so  embarrassing  as  this  had  ever  happened  to  him  in  his  life.  He 
was  a  little  afraid  that  it  might  be  a  trifle  embarrassing  to  Mr. 
Hobbs,  too. 

"  You  said,"  he  proceeded,  "that  you  would  n't  have  them  sitting 
'round  on  your  cracker-barrels." 

"•  So  I  did ! "  returned  Mr.  Hobbs,  stoutly.  "And  I  meant  it. 
Let  'em  try  it — that 's  all !  " 

"  Mr.  Hobbs, "said  Cedric,  "one  is  sitting  on  this  box  now  ' '" 
Mr.  Hobbs  almost  jumped  out  of  his  chair. 

"  What !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"Yes,"  Cedric  announced,  with  due  modesty;  "/  am  one — or  I 
am  going  to  be.      I  wont  deceive  you." 

Mr.  Hobbs  looked  agitated.  He  rose  up  suddenly  and  went  to 
look  at  the  thermometer. 

"  The  mercury  's  got  into  your  head  !  "  he  exclaimed,  turning  back 
to  examine  his  young  friend's  countenance.  "  It  is  a  hot  day ! 
How  do  you  feel?  Got  any  pain?  When  did  you  begin  to  feel 
that  way  ?  " 


lIM^Vj        *& 


'•'  '  MR.   HOBIiS,'    SATO    CKDRIC,  'AN    EARL   IS    SITTING   ON    THIS   BOX   NOW'  '" 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  I  7 

He  put  his  big  hand  on  the  little  boy's  hair.  This  was  more 
embarrassing  than  ever. 

"Thank  you,"  said  Ceddie ;  "I  'm  all  right.  There  is  nothing 
the  matter  with  my  head.  I  'm  sorry  to  say  it  's  true,  Mr.  Hobbs. 
That  was  what  Mary  came  to  take  me  home  for.  Mr.  Havisham 
was  telling  my  mamma,  and  he  is  a  lawyer." 

Mr.  Hobbs  sank  into  his  chair  and  mopped  his  forehead  with 
his  handkerchief. 

"  One  of  us  has  got  a  sunstroke  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"No,"  returned  Cedric,  "we  have  n't.  We  shall  have  to  make 
the  best  of  it,  Mr.  Hobbs.  Mr.  Havisham  came  all  the  way  from 
England  to  tell  us  about  it.      My  grandpapa  sent  him." 

Mr.  Hobbs  stared  wildly  at  the  innocent,  serious  little  face 
before  him. 

"  Who  is  your  grandfather? "  he  asked.     . 
Cedric  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  carefully  drew  out  a  piece 
of  paper,  on  which  something  was  written  in  his  own  round,  irregular 
hand. 

"  I  could  n't  easily  remember  it,  so  I  wrote  it  down  on  this,"  he 
said.  And  he  read  aloud  slowly:  "'John  Arthur  Molyneux  Errol, 
Earl  of  Dorincourt.'  That  is  his  name,  and  he  lives  in  a  castle — in 
two  or  three  castles,  I  think.  And  my  papa,  who  died,  was  his 
youngest  son  ;  and  I  should  n't  have  been  a  lord  or  an  earl  if  my 
papa  had  n't  died  ;  and  my  papa  would  n't  have  been  an  earl  if  his 
two  brothers  had  n't  died.  But  they  all  died,  and  there  is  no  one 
but  me, — no  boy,  —  and  so  I  have  to  be  one  ;  and  my  grandpapa  has 
sent  for  me  to  come  to  England." 

Mr.  Hobbs  seemed  to  grow  hotter  and  hotter.  He  mopped 
his  forehead  and  his  bald  spot  and  breathed  hard.  He  began  to  see 
that  something  very  remarkable  had  happened ;  but  when  he  looked 
at  the  little  boy  sitting  on  the  cracker-box,  with  the  innocent,  anxious 

2 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


expression  in  his  childish  eyes,  and  saw  that  he  was  not  changed  at 
all,  but  was  simply  as  he  had  been  the  day  before,  just  a  handsome, 
cheerful,  brave  little  fellow  in  a  blue  suit  and  red  neck-ribbon, 
all  this  information  about  the  nobility  bewildered  him.  He  was  all 
the  more  bewildered  because  Cedric  gave  it  with  such  ingenuous 
simplicity,  and  plainly  without  realizing  himself  how  stupendous 
it  was. 

"  Wha — what  did  you  say  your  name  was?"  Mr.  Hobbs  inquired. 

"  It  's  Cedric  Errol,  Lord  Fauntleroy,"  answered  Cedric.  "That 
was  what  Mr.  Havisham  called  me.  He  said  when  I  went  into  the 
room  :    'And  so  this  is  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  ! ' " 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs,  "I  '11  be— jiggered  !  " 
This  was  an  exclamation  he  always  used  when  he  was  very 
much  astonished  or  excited.      He  could   think  of  nothing  else  to  say 
just  at  that  puzzling  moment. 

Cedric  felt  it  to  be  quite  a  proper  and  suitable  ejaculation.  His 
respect  and  affection  for  Mr.  Hobbs  were  so  great  that  he  admired 
and  approved  of  all  his  remarks.  He  had  not  seen  enough  of 
society  as  yet  to  make  him  realize  that  sometimes  Mr.  Hobbs  was 
not  quite  conventional.  He  knew,  of  course,  that  he  was  different 
from  his  mamma,  but,  then,  his  mamma  was  a  lady,  and  he  had  an 
idea  that  ladies  were  always  different  from  gentlemen. 
He  looked  at  Mr.  Hobbs  wistfully. 

"  England  is  a  long  way  off,  is  n't  it?  "  he  asked. 

"  It 's  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean,"  Mr.  Hobbs  answered. 

"  That  's  the  worst  of  it,"  said  Cedric.  "  Perhaps  I  shall  not 
see  you  again  for  a  long  time.  I  don't  like  to  think  of  that,  Mr. 
Hobbs." 

"  The  best  of  friends  must  part,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs. 

"Well,"  said  Cedric,  "we  have  been  friends  for  a  great  many 
years,  have  n't  we  ?  " 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 9 

"  Ever  since  you  was  born,"  Mr.  Hobbs  answered.  "  You  was 
about  six  weeks  old  when  you  was  first  walked  out  on  this  street." 

"  Ah,"  remarked  Cedric,  with  a  sigh,  "  1  never  thought  I  should 
have  to  be  an  earl  then  !  " 

"  You  think,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs,  "  there  's  no  getting  out  of  it  ? " 

"  I  'm  afraid  not,"  answered  Cedric.  "  My  mamma  says  that  my 
papa  would  wish  me  to  do  it.  But  if  I  have  to  be  an  earl,  there  's 
one  thing  I  can  do :  I  can  try  to  be  a  good  one.  I  'm  not  going  to 
be  a  tyrant.  And  if  there  is  ever  to  be  another  war  with  America, 
I  shall  try  to  stop  it." 

His  conversation  with  Mr.  Hobbs  was  a  long  and  serious  one. 
Once  having  o-ot  over  the  first  shock,  Mr.  Hobbs  was  not  so  rancor- 
ous  as  might  have  been  expected  ;  he  endeavored  to  resign  himself 
to  the  situation,  and  before  the  interview  was  at  an  end  he  had 
asked  a  great  many  questions.  As  Cedric  could  answer  but  few  of 
them,  he  endeavored  to  answer  them  himself,  and,  being  fairly 
launched  on  the  subject  of  earls  and  marquises  and  lordly  estates, 
explained  many  things  in  a  way  which  would  probably  have  aston- 
ished Mr.  Havisham,  could  that  gentleman  have  heard  it. 

But  then  there  were  many  things  which  astonished  Mr.  Hav- 
isham. He  had  spent  all  his  life  in  England,  and  was  not  accus- 
tomed to  American  people  and  American  habits.  He  had  been 
connected  professionally  with  the  family  of  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt 
for  nearly  forty  years,  and  he  knew  all  about  its  grand  estates  and 
its  great  wealth  and  importance  ;  and,  in  a  cold,  business-like  way, 
he  felt  an  interest  in  this  little  boy,  who,  in  the  future,  was  to  be  the 
master  and  owner  of  them  all, —  the  future  Eail  of  Dorincourt.  He 
had  known  all  about  the  old  Earl's  disappointment  in  his  elder  sons 
and  all  about  his  fierce  rage  at  Captain  Cedric's  American  marriage, 
and  he  knew  how  he  still  hated  the  gentle  little  widow  and  would 
not  speak  of  her  except  with  bitter  and  cruel  words.      He  insisted 


20  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

that  she  was  only  a  common  American  girl,  who  had  entrapped  his 
son  into  marrying  her  because  she  knew  he  was  an  earl's  son.  The 
old  lawyer  himself  had  more  than  half  believed  this  was  all  true. 
He  had  seen  a  great  many  selfish,  mercenary  people  in  his  life,  and 
he  had  not  a  good  opinion  of  Americans.  When  he  had  been 
driven  into  the  cheap  street,  and  his  coupe  had  stopped  before  the 
cheap,  small  house,  he  had  felt  actually  shocked.  It  seemed  really 
quite  dreadful  to  think  that  the  future  owner  of  Dorincourt  Castle  and 
Wyndham  Towers  and  Chorlworth,  and  all  the  other  stately  splen- 
dors, should  have  been  born  and  brought  up  in  an  insignificant  house 
in  a  street  with  a  sort  of  green-grocery  at  the  corner.  He  wondered 
what  kind  of  a  child  he  would  be,  and  what  kind  of  a  mother  he  had. 
He  rather  shrank  from  seeing  them  both.  He  had  a  sort  of  pride 
in  the  noble  family  whose  legal  affairs  he  had  conducted  so  long, 
and  it  would  have  annoyed  him  very  much  to  have  found  himself 
obliged  to  manage  a  woman  who  would  seem  to  him  a  vulgar,  money- 
loving  person,  with  no  respect  for  her  dead  husband's  country  and 
the  dignity  of  his  name.  It  was  a  very  old  name  and  a  very  splen- 
did one,  and  Mr.  Havisham  had  a  great  respect  for  it  himself,  though 
he  was  only  a  cold,  keen,  business-like  old  lawyer. 

When  Mary  handed  him  into  the  small  parlor,  he  looked  around  it 
critically.  It  was  plainly  furnished,  but  it  had  a  home-like  look  ;  there 
were  no  cheap,  common  ornaments,  and  no  cheap,  gaudy  pictures  ;  the 
few  adornments  on  the  walls  were  in  good  taste,  and  about  the  room 
were  many  pretty  things  which  a  woman's  hand  might  have  made. 

"  Not  at  all  bad  so  far,"  he  had  said  to  himself;  "but  perhaps  the 
Captain's  taste  predominated."  But  when  Mrs.  Errol  came  into  the 
room,  he  began  to  think  she  herself  might  have  had  something  to 
do  with  it.  If  he  had  not  been  quite  a  self-contained  and  stiff  old 
gentleman,  he  would  probably  have  started  when  he  saw  her.  She 
looked,  in  the  simple  black  dress,  fitting  closely  to  her  slender  figure, 


LITTLE   LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  2  1 

more  like  a  young  girl  than  the  mother  of  a  boy  of  seven.  She  had 
a  pretty,  sorrowful,  young  face,  and  a  very  tender,  innocent  look  in 
her  large  brown  eyes,—  the  sorrowful  look  that  had  never  quite  left 
her  face  since  her  husband  had  died.  Cedric  was  used  to  seeing  it 
there  ;  the  only  times  he  had  ever  seen  it  fade  out  had  been  when 
he  was  playing  with  her  or  talking  to  her,  and  had  said  some  old- 
fashioned  thing,  or  used  some  long  word  he  had  picked  up  out  of 
the  newspapers  or  in  his  conversations  with  Mr.  Hobbs.  He  was 
fond  of  using  long  words,  and  he  was  always  pleased  when  they 
made  her  laugh,  though  he  could  not  understand  why  they  were 
laughable  ;  they  were  quite  serious  matters  with  him.  The  lawyer's 
experience  taught  him  to  read  people's  characters  very  shrewdly, 
and  as  soon  as  he  saw  Cedric's  mother  he  knew  that  the  old  Earl 
had  made  a  great  mistake  in  thinking  her  a  vulgar,  mercenary 
woman.  Mr.  Havisham  had  never  been  married,  he  had  never 
even  been  in  love,  but  he  divined  that  this  pretty  young  creature 
with  the  sweet  voice  and  sad  eyes  had  married  Captain  Errol 
only  because  she  loved  him  with  all  her  affectionate  heart,  and  that 
she  had  never  once  thought  it  an  advantage  that  he  was  an  earl's  son. 
And  he  saw  he  should  have  no  trouble  with  her,  and  he  began  to 
feel  that  perhaps  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  might  not  be  such  a  trial 
to  his  noble  family,  after  all.  The  Captain  had  been  a  handsome 
fellow,  and  the  young  mother  was  very  pretty,  and  perhaps  the  boy 
might  be  well  enough  to  look  at. 

When  he  first  told  Mrs.  Errol  what  he  had  come  for,  she  turned 
very  pale. 

"Oh!"  she  said;  "will  he  have  to  be  taken  away  from  me? 
We  love  each  other  so  much  !  He  is  such  a  happiness  to  me  !  He 
is  all  I  have.  I  have  tried  to  be  a  good  mother  to  him."  And  her 
sweet  young  voice  trembled,  and  the  tears  rushed  into  her  eyes. 
"  You  do  not  know  what  he  has  been  to  me  !  "  she  said. 


2  2  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


The  lawyer  cleared  his  throat. 

"  I  am  obliged  to  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  that  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt 
is  not  —  is  not  very  friendly  toward  you.  He  is  an  old  man,  and 
his  prejudices  are  very  strong.  He  has  always  especially  disliked 
America  and  Americans,' and  was  very  much  enraged  by  his  son's 
marriage.  I  am  sorry  to  be  the  bearer  of  so  unpleasant  a  communi- 
cation, but  he  is  very  fixed  in  his  determination  not  to  see  you. 
His  plan  is  that  Lord  Fauntleroy  shall  be  educated  under  his  own 
supervision  ;  that  he  shall  live  with  him.  The  Earl  is  attached  to 
Dorincourt  Castle,  and  spends  a  great  deal  of  time  there.  He  is  a 
victim  to  inflammatory  gout,  and  is  not  fond  of  London.  Lord 
Fauntleroy  will,  therefore,  be  likely  to  live  chiefly  at  Dorincourt. 
The  Earl  offers  you  as  a  home  Court  Lodge,  which  is  situated 
pleasantly,  and  is  not  very  far  from  the  castle.  He  also  offers  you 
a  suitable  income.  Lord  Fauntleroy  will  be  permitted  to  visit  you  ; 
the  only  stipulation  is,  that  you  shall  not  visit  him  or  enter  the  park 
gates.  You  see  you  will  not  be  really  separated  from  your  son,  and 
I  assure  you,  madam,  the  terms  are  not  so  harsh  as — as  they  might 
have  been.  The  advantage  of  such  surroundings  and  education  as 
Lord  Fauntleroy  will  have,  I  am  sure  you  must  see,  will  be  very 
great." 

He  felt  a  little  uneasy  lest  she  should  begin  to  cry  or  make  a 
scene,  as  he  knew  some  women  would  have  done.  It  embarrassed 
and  annoyed  him  to  see  women  cry. 

But  she  did  not.  She  went  to  the  window  and  stood  with  her 
face  turned  away  for  a  few  moments,  and  he  saw  she  was  trying  to 
steady  herself. 

"  Captain  Errol  was  very  fond  of  Dorincourt,"  she  said  at  last. 
"  He  loved  England,  and  everything  English.  It  was  always  a 
grief  to  him  that  he  was  parted  from  his  home.  He  was  proud  of 
his  home,  and  of  his  name.     He  would  wish  —  I  know  he  would  wish 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  23 

that  his  son  should  know  the  beautiful  old  places,  and  be  brought 
up  in  such  a  way  as  would  be  suitable  to  his  future  position." 

Then  she  came  back  to  the  table  and  stood  looking  up  at  Mr. 
Havisham  very  gently. 

"  My  husband  would  wish  it,"  she  said.  "  It  will  be  best  for  my 
little  boy.  I  know — I  am  sure  the  Earl  would  not  be  so  unkind  as 
to  try  to  teach  him  not  to  love  me;  and  I  know — -  even  if  he 
tried — that  my  little  boy  is  too  much  like  his  father  to  be  harmed. 
He  has  a  warm,  faithful  nature,  and  a  true  heart.  He  would  love 
me  even  if  he  did  not  see  me  ;  and  so  long-  as  we  mav  see  each 
other,  I  ought  not  to  suffer  very  much." 

"  She  thinks  very  little  of  herself,"  the  lawyer  thought.  "  She 
does  not  make  any  terms  for  herself." 

"  Madam,"  he  said  aloud,  "  I  respect  your  consideration  for  your 
son.  He  will  thank  you  for  it  when  he  is  a  man.  I  assure  you 
Lord  Fauntleroy  will  be  most  carefully  guarded,  and  every  effort 
will  be  used  to  insure  his  happiness.  The  Earl  of  Dorincourt 
will  be  as  anxious  for  his  comfort  and  well-being  as  you  yourself 
could  be." 

"  I  hope,"  said  the  tender  little  mother,  in  a  rather  broken  voice, 
"  that  his  grandfather  will  love  Ceddie.  The  little  boy  has  a  very 
affectionate  nature  ;   and  he  has  always  been  loved." 

Mr.  Havisham  cleared  his  throat  again.  He  could  not  quite 
imagine  the  gouty,  fiery-tempered  old  Earl  loving  any  one  very 
much  ;  but  he  knew  it  would  be  to  his  interest  to  be  kind,  in  his 
irritable  way,  to  the  child  who  was  to  be  his  heir.  He  knew,  too, 
that  if  Ceddie  were  at  all  a  credit  to  his  name,  his  grandfather  would 
be  proud  of  him. 

"  Lord  Fauntleroy  will  be  comfortable,  I  am  sure,"  he  replied. 
"  It  was  with  a  view  to  his  happiness  that  the  Earl  desired  that  you 
should  be  near  enough  to  him  to  see  him  frequently." 


24  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

He  did  not  think  it  would  be  discreet  to  repeat  the  exact  words 
the  Earl  had  used,  which  were  in  fact  neither  polite  nor  amiable. 

Mr.  Havisham  preferred  to  express  his  noble  patron's  offer  in 
smoother  and  more  courteous  language. 

He  had  another  slight  shock  when  Mrs.  Errol  asked  Mary  to 
find  her  little  boy  and  bring  him  to  her,  and  Mary  told  her  where 
he  was. 

"Sure  I  '11  foind  him  aisy  enough,  ma'am,"  she  said;  "for  it's 
wid  Mr.  Hobbs  he  is  this  minnit,  settin'  on  his  high  shtool  by  the 
counther  an'  talkin'  pollytics,  most  loikely,  or  enj'yin'  hisself  among 
the  soap  an'  candles  an'  pertaties,  as  sinsible  an'  shwate  as  ye 
plase." 

"  Mr.  Hobbs  has  known  him  all  his  life,"  Mrs.  Errol  said  to  the 
lawyer.  "  He  is  very  kind  to  Ceddie,  and  there  is  a  great  friendship 
between  them." 

Remembering  the  glimpse  he  had  caught  of  the  store  as  he 
passed  it,  and  having  a  recollection  of  the  barrels  of  potatoes  and 
apples  and  the  various  odds  and  ends,  Mr.  Havisham  felt  his  doubts 
arise  again.  In  England,  gentlemen's  sons  did  not  make  friends  of 
grocerymen,  and  it  seemed  to  him  a  rather  singular  proceeding.  It 
would  be  very  awkward  if  the  child  had  bad  manners  and  a  disposi- 
tion to  like  low  company.  One  of  the  bitterest  humiliations  of  the 
old  Earl's  life  had  been  that  his  two  elder  sons  had  been  fond  of  low 
company.  Could  it  be,  he  thought,  that  this  boy  shared  their  bad 
qualities  instead  of  his  father's  good  qualities  ? 

He  was  thinking  uneasily  about  this  as  he  talked  to  Mrs.  Errol 
until  the  child  came  into  the  room.  When  the  door  opened,  he 
actually  hesitated  a  moment  before  looking  at  Cedric.  It  would, 
perhaps,  have  seemed  very  queer  to  a  great  many  people  who  knew 
him,  if  they  could  have  known  the  curious  sensations  that  passed 
through  Mr.  Havisham  when  he  looked  down  at  the  boy,  who  ran 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUN1LER0Y.  25 

into  his  mother's  arms.  He  experienced  a  revulsion  of  feeling  which 
was  quite  exciting.  He  recognized  in  an  instant  that  here  was  one 
of  the  finest  and  handsomest  little  fellows  he  had  ever  seen.  His 
beauty  was  something  unusual.  He  had  a  strong,  lithe,  graceful 
little  body  and  a  manly  little  face ;  he  held  his  childish  head  up,  and 
carried  himself  with  a  brave  air;  he  was  so  like  his  father  that 
it  was  really  startling ;  he  had  his  father's  golden  hair  and  his 
mother's  brown  eyes,  but  there  was  nothing  sorrowful  or  timid  in 
them.  They  were  innocently  fearless  eyes ;  he  looked  as  if  he  had 
never  feared  or  doubted  anything  in  his  life. 

"  He  is  the  best-bred-looking  and  handsomest  little  fellow  I  ever 
saw,"  was  what  Mr.  Havisham  thought.  What  he  said  aloud  was 
simply,  "And  so  this  is  little  Lord  Fauntleroy." 

And,  after  this,  the  more  he  saw  of  little  Lord  Fauntleroy,  the 
more  of  a  surprise  he  found  him.  He  knew  very  little  about  chil- 
dren, though  he  had  seen  plenty  of  them  in  England  —  fine,  hand- 
some, rosy  girls  and  boys,  who  were  strictly  taken  care  of  by  their 
tutors  and  governesses,  and  who  were  sometimes  shy,  and  sometimes 
a  trifle  boisterous,  but  never  very  interesting  to  a  ceremonious,  rigid 
old  lawyer.  Perhaps  his  personal  interest  in  little  Lord  Fauntleroy's 
fortunes  made  him  notice  Ceddie  more  than  he  had  noticed  other 
children;  but,  however  that  was,  he  certainly  found  himself  noticing 
him  a  great  deal. 

Cedric  did  not  know  he  was  being  observed,  and  he  only 
behaved  himself  in  his  ordinary  manner.  He  shook  hands  with  Mr. 
Havisham  in  his  friendly  way  when  they  were  introduced  to  each 
other,  and  he  answered  all  his  questions  with  the  unhesitating  readi- 
ness with  which  he  answered  Mr.  Hobbs.  He  was  neither  shy  nor 
bold,  and  when  Mr.  Havisham  was  talking  to  his  mother,  the  lawyer 
noticed  that  he  listened  to  the  conversation  with  as  much  interest  as 
if  he  had  been  quite  grown  up. 


26  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

"  He  seems  to  be  a  very  mature  little  fellow,"  Mr.  Havisham  said 
to  the  mother. 

"  I  think  he  is,  in  some  things,"  she  answered.  "  He  has  always 
been  very  quick  to  learn,  and  he  has  lived  a  great  deal  with  grown- 
up people.  He  has  a  funny  little  habit  of  using  long  words  and 
expressions  he  has  read  in  books,  or  has  heard  others  use,  but  he  is 
very  fond  of  childish  play.  I  think  he  is  rather  clever,  but  he  is  a 
very  boyish  little  boy,  sometimes." 

The  next  time  Mr.  Havisham  met  him,  he  saw  that  this  last  was 
quite  true.  As  his  coupe  turned  the  corner,  he  caught  sight  of  a 
group  of  small  boys,  who  were  evidently  much  excited.  Two  of 
them  were  about  to  run  a  race,  and  one  of  them  was  his  young  lord- 
ship, and  he  was  shouting  and  making  as  much  noise  as  the  noisiest 
of  his  companions.  He  stood  side  by  side  with  another  boy,  one 
little  red  leg  advanced  a  step. 

"  One,  to  make  ready  !  "  yelled  the  starter.  "  Two,  to  be  steady. 
Three — and  away  !  " 

Mr.  Havisham  found  himself  leaning  out  of  the  window  of  his 
coupe  with  a  curious  feeling  of  interest.  He  really  never  remem 
bered  having  seen  anything  quite  like  the  way  in  which  his  lordship's 
lordly  little  red  legs  flew  up  behind  his  knickerbockers  and  tore  over 
the  ground  as  he  shot  out  in  the  race  at  the  signal  word.  He  shut 
his  small  hands  and  set  his  face  against  the  wind  ;  his  bright  hair 
streamed  out  behind. 

"  Hooray,  Ced  Errol !  "  all  the  boys  shouted,  dancing  and  shriek- 
ing with  excitement.  "Hooray,  Billy  Williams!  Hooray,  Ceddie ! 
Hooray,  Billy  !   Hooray  !   'Ray  !   'Ray  !  " 

"  I  really  believe  he  is  going  to  win,"  said  Mr.  Havisham.  The 
way  in  which  the  red  legs  flew  and  flashed  up  and  down,  the  shrieks 
of  the  boys,  the  wild  efforts  of  Billy  Williams,  whose  brown  legs 
were  not  to  be  despised,  as  they  followed  closely  in  the  rear  of  the 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


27 


red  legs,  made  him  feel  some  excitement.  "I  really — I  really  can't 
help  hoping  he  will  win  ! "  he  said,  with  an  apologetic  sort  of  cough. 
At  that  moment,  the  wildest  yell  of  all  went  up  from  the  dancing, 
hopping  boys.  With  one  last  frantic  leap  the  future  Earl  of  Dorin- 
court  had  reached  the  lamp-post  at  the  end  of 
the  block  and  touched  it,  just  two  seconds  be- 
fore Billy  Williams  flung  himself  at  it,  panting. 

"  Three  cheers  for  Ceddie  Errol !  "  yelled 

the  little  boys.    "  Hooray  for  Ceddie  Errol !  " 

Mr.  Havisham  drew  his  head  in  at  the 

window  of  his   coupe  and  leaned  back  with 

a  dry  smile. 

"  Bravo,  Lord  Fauntleroy  !  "  he  said. 
As  his  carriage  stopped  before  the  door 
of  Mrs.  Errol's  house,  the  victor  and  the 
vanquished  were  coming  toward  it,  attended 
by  the  clamoring  crew.  Cedric  walked  by 
Billy  Williams  and  was  speaking  to  him.  His 
elated  little  face  was  very  red,  his  curls  clung 
to  his  hot,  moist  forehead,  his  hands  were  in  i&  (s  thk  race. 
his  pockets. 

"  You  see,"  he  was  saying,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  making 
defeat  easy  for  his  unsuccessful  rival,  "  I  guess  I  won  because  my 
legs  are  a  little  longer  than  yours.  I  guess  that  was  it.  You  see, 
I  'm  three  days  older  than  you,  and  that  gives  me  a  'vantage.  I  'm 
three  days  older." 

And  this  view  of  the  case  seemed  to  cheer  Billy  Williams  so 
much  that  he  began  to  smile  on  the  world  again,  and  felt  able  to 
swagger  a  little,  almost  as  if  he  had  won  the  race  instead  of  losing 
it.  Somehow,  Ceddie  Errol  had  a  way  of  making  people  feel  com- 
fortable.     Even   in   the   first  flush  of  his  triumphs,  he  remembered 


2  8  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

that  the  person  who  was  beaten  might  not  feel  so  gay  as  he  did,  and 
might  like  to  think  that  he  might  have  been  the  winner  under  differ- 
ent circumstances. 

That  morning  Mr.r  Havisham  had  quite  a  long  conversation  with 
the  winner  of  the  race — a  conversation  which  made  him  smile  his 
dry  smile,  and  rub  his  chin  with  his  bony  hand  several  times. 

Mrs.  Errol  had  been  called  out  of  the  parlor,  and  the  lawyer 
and  Cedric  were  left  together.  At  first  Mr.  Havisham  wondered 
what  he  should  say  to  his  small  companion.  He  had  an  idea  that 
perhaps  it  would  be  best  to  say  several  things  which  might  prepare 
Cedric  for  meeting  his  grandfather,  and,  perhaps,  for  the  great 
change  that  was  to  come  to  him.  He  could  see  that  Cedric  had  not 
the  least  idea  of  the  sort  of  thing  he  was  to  see  when  he  reached 
England,  or  of  the  sort  of  home  that  waited  for  him  there.  He  did 
not  even  know  yet  that  his  mother  was  not  to  live  in  the  same  house 
with  him.  They  had  thought  it  best  to  let  him  get  over  the  first 
shock  before  telling  him. 

Mr.  Havisham  sat  in  an  arm-chair  on  one  side  of  the  open  win- 
dow ;  on  the  other  side  was  another  still  larger  chair,  and  Cedric 
sat  in  that  and  looked  at  Mr.  Havisham.  He  sat  well  back  in  the 
depths  of  his  big  seat,  his  curly  head  against  the  cushioned  back,  his 
legs  crossed,  and  his  hands  thrust  deep  into  his  pockets,  in  a  quite 
Mr.  Hobbs-like  way.  He  had  been  watching  Mr.  Havisham  very 
steadily  when  his  mamma  had  been  in  the  room,  and  after  she  was 
gone  he  still  looked  at  him  in  respectful  thoughtfulness.  There  was 
a  short  silence  after  Mrs.  Errol  went  out,  and  Cedric  seemed  to  be 
studying  Mr.  Havisham,  and  Mr.  Havisham  was  certainly  studying 
Cedric.  He  could  not  make  up  his  mind  as  to  what  an  elderly 
gentleman  should  say  to  a  little  boy  who  won  races,  and  wore 
short  knickerbockers  and  red  stockings  on  legs  which  were  not 
long  enough  to  hang  over  a  big  chair  when  he  sat  well  back  in  it. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  2Q 

But  Cedric  relieved  him  by  suddenly  beginning  the  conversation 
himself. 

"  Do  you  know,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  know  what  an  earl  is  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  ?  "  said  Mr.  Havisham. 

"  No,"  replied  Ceddie.  "And  I  think  when  a  boy  is  going  to  be 
one,  he  ought  to  know.      Don't  you  ?  " 

"  Well  —  yes,"  answered  Mr.  Havisham. 

"Would  you  mind,"  said  Ceddie  respectfully — "would  you  mind 
'splaining  it  to  me  ?  "  (Sometimes  when  he  used  his  long  words  he 
did  not  pronounce  them  quite  correctly.)  "  What  made  him  an 
earl  ?  " 

"  A  king  or  queen,  in  the  first  place,"  said  Mr.  Havisham. 
"  Generally,  he  is  made  an  earl  because  he  has  done  some  service  to 
his  sovereign,  or  some  great  deed." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  Cedric  ;    "  that  's  like  the  President." 

"  Is  it?"  said  Mr.  Havisham.  "  Is  that  why  your  presidents  are 
elected  ? " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Ceddie  cheerfully.  "  When  a  man  is  very  good 
and  knows  a  great  deal,  he  is  elected  president.  They  have  torch- 
light processions  and  bands,  and  everybody  makes  speeches.  I  used 
to  think  I  might  perhaps  be  a  president,  but  I  never  thought  of  being 
an  earl.  I  did  n't  know  about  earls,"  he  said,  rather  hastily,  lest  Mr. 
Havisham  might  feel  it  impolite  in  him  not  to  have  wished  to  be 
one, — "  if  I  'd  known  about  them,  I  dare  say  I  should  have  thought 
I  should  like  to  be  one." 

"  It  is  rather  different  from  being  a  president,"  said  Mr.  Havisham. 

'*  Is  it?"  asked  Cedric.  "How?  Are  there  no  torch-light 
processions  ?  " 

Mr.  Havisham  crossed  his  own  legs  and  put  the  tips  of  his 
fingers  carefully  together.  He  thought  perhaps  the  time  had  come 
to  explain  matters  rather  more  clearly. 


3Q 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


"  An  earl  is  —  is  a  very  important  person,"  he  began. 
ei  So  is  a  president  !"  put  in   Ceddie.      "The  torch-light  proces- 
sions are  five  miles  long,  and  they  shoot  up  rockets,  and  the  band 

plays!  Mr.  Hobbs 


took    me    to    see 
them." 

"  An  earl,"  Mr. 
Havisham  went 
on,  feeling  rather 
uncertain  of  his 
ground,  "  is  fre- 
j  quently  of  very 
ancient       lineage 


"What's  that?" 
asked  Ceddie. 

"  Of  very  old 
family  —  extreme- 
ly old." 

"Ah!"  said 
Cedric,  thrusting 
his  hands  deeper 
into  his  pockets. 
"  I  suppose  that 
is  the  way  with 
the  apple-woman  near  the  park.  I  dare  say  she  is  of  ancient  lin- 
lenage.  She  is  so  old  it  would  surprise  you  how  she  can  stand  up. 
She  's  a  hundred,  I  should  think,  and  yet  she  is  out  there  when  it 
rains,  even.  I  'm  sorry  for  her,  and  so  are  the  other  boys.  Billy 
Williams  once  had  nearly  a  dollar,  and  I  asked  him  to  buy  five  cents' 
worth  of  apples  from  her  every  day  until  he  had  spent  it  all.     That 


"'I    USED    TO   THINK   I    MIGHT   PERHAPS    BE   A   PRESIDENT,    BUT    I 
NEVER   THOUGHT   OF   BEING   AN    EARL,'    SAID    CEDDIE." 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  3 1 

made  twenty  days,  and  he  grew  tired  of  apples  after  a  week ;  but 
then  —  it  was  quite  fortunate  —  a  gentleman  gave  me  fifty  cents  and 
I  bought  apples  from  her  instead.  You  feel  sorry  for  any  one  that 's 
so  poor  and  has  such  ancient  lin-lenage.  She  says  hers  has  gone 
into  her  bones  and  the  rain  makes  it  worse." 

Mr.  Havisham  felt  rather  at  a  loss  as  he  looked  at  his  com- 
panion's innocent,  serious  little  face. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  did  not  quite  understand  me,"  he  explained. 
"  When  I  said  '  ancient  lineage '  I  did  not  mean  old  age ;  I  meant 
that  the  name  of  such  a  family  has  been  known  in  the  world  a  long 
time  ;  perhaps  for  hundreds  of  years  persons  bearing  that  name  have 
been  known  and  spoken  of  in  the  history  of  their  country." 

"  Like  George  Washington,"  said  Ceddie.  "  I  've  heard  of  him 
ever  since  I  was  born,  and  he  was  known  about,  long  before  that. 
Mr.  Hobbs  says  he  will  never  be  forgotten.  That  's  because  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  you  know,  and  the  Fourth  of  July. 
You  see,  he  was  a  very  brave  man." 

"  The  first  Earl  of  Dorincourt,"  said  Mr.  Havisham  solemnly, 
"  was  created  an  earl  four  hundred  years  ago." 

"  Well,  well  !  "  said  Ceddie.  "  That  was  a  long  time  ago  !  Did 
you  tell  Dearest  that  ?  It  would  int'rust  her  very  much.  We  '11  tell 
her  when  she  comes  in.  She  always  likes  to  hear  cur'us  things. 
What  else  does  an  earl  do  besides  being  created  ? " 

"  A  great  many  of  them  have  helped  to  govern  England.  Some 
of  them  have  been  brave  men  and  have  fought  in  great  battles  in 
the  old  days." 

"  I  should  like  to  do  that  myself,"  said  Cedric.  "  My  papa  was  a 
soldier,  and  he  was  a  very  brave  man  —  as  brave  as  George  Wash- 
ington. Perhaps  that  was  because  he  would  have  been  an  earl  if  he 
had  n't  died.  I  am  odad  earls  are  brave.  That  's  a  ereat  'van- 
taQfe  —  to   be   a   brave    man.      Once   I   used   to   be   rather  afraid  of 


32  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

things  —  in   the   dark,   you    know ;    but  when   I    thought    about   the 
soldiers  in  the  Revolution  and  George  Washington  —  it  cured  me." 

"  There  is  another  advantage  in  being  an  earl,  sometimes,"  said 
Mr.  Havisham  slowly,  and  he  fixed  his  shrewd  eyes  on  the  little  boy 
with  a  rather  curious  expression.  "  Some  earls  have  a  great  deal 
of  money." 

He  was  curious  because  he  wondered  if  his  young  friend  knew 
what  the  power  of  money  was. 

"  That  's  a  good  thing  to  have,"  said'  Ceddie  innocently.  "  I  wish 
I  had  a  great  deal  of  money." 

"  Do  you  ?  "  said  Mr.  Havisham.      "  And  why  ?  " 

"  Well,"  explained  Cedric,  "  there  are  so  many  things  a  person 
can  do  with  money.  You  see,  there  's  the  apple-woman.  If  I  were 
very  rich  I  should  buy  her  a  little  tent  to  put  her  stall  in,  and  a  little 
stove,  and  then  I  should  give  her  a  dollar  every  morning  it  rained, 
so  that  she  could  afford  to  stay  at  home.  And  then  —  oh  !  I  'd  give 
her  a  shawl.  And,  you  see,  her  bones  would  n't  feel  so  badly.  Her 
bones  are  not  like  our  bones  ;  they  hurt  her  when  she  moves.  It  's 
very  painful  when  your  bones  hurt  you.  If  I  were  rich  enough 
to  do  all  those  things  for  her,  I  guess  her  bones  would  be  all 
right." 

"Ahem!"  said  Mr.  Havisham.  "And  what  else  would  you  do 
if  you  were  rich  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  I  'd  do  a  great  many  things.  Of  course  I  should  buy 
Dearest  all  sorts  of  beautiful  things,  needle-books  and  fans  and  gold 
thimbles  and  rings,  and  an  encyclopedia,  and  a  carriage,  so  that  she 
need  n't  have  to  wait  for  the  street-cars.  If  she  liked  pink  silk 
dresses,  I  should  buy  her  some,  but  she  likes  black  best.  But  I  'd 
take  her  to  the  big  stores,  and  tell  her  to  look  'round  and  choose  for 
herself.     And  then  Dick " 

"  Who  is  Dick  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Havisham. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  33 

"  Dick  is  a  boot-black,"  said  his  young  lordship,  quite  warming 
up  in  his  interest  in  plans  so  exciting.  "  He  is  one  of  the  nicest 
boot-blacks  you  ever  knew.  He  stands  at  the  corner  of  a  street 
down-town.  I  've  known  him  for  years.  Once  when  I  was  very 
little,  I  was  walking  out  with  Dearest,  and  she  bought  me  a  beauti- 
ful ball  that  bounced,  and  I  was  carrying  it  and  it  bounced  into  the 
middle  of  the  street  where  the  carriages  and  horses  were,  and  I  was 
so  disappointed,  I  began  to  cry  —  I  was  very  little.  I  had  kilts  on. 
And  Dick  was  blacking  a  man's  shoes,  and  he  said  '  Hello  ! '  and  he 
ran  in  between  the  horses  and  caught  the  ball  for  me  and  wiped  it 
off  with  his  coat  and  gave  it  to  me  and  said,  '  It  's  all  right,  young 
un.'  So  Dearest  admired  him  very  much,  and  so  did  I,  and  ever 
since  then,  when  we  go  down-town,  we  talk  to  him.  He  says 
*  Hello  ! '  and  I  say  '  Hello  ! '  and  then  we  talk  a  little,  and  he  tells 
me  how  trade  is.      It 's  been  bad  lately." 

"  And  what  would  you  like  to  do  for  him  ?"  inquired  the  lawyer, 
rubbing  his  chin  and  smiling  a  queer  smile. 

"  Well,"  said  Lord  Fauntleroy,  settling  himself  in  his  chair  with  a 
business  air,  "  I  'd  buy  Jake  out."    » 

"  And  who  is  Jake?  "  Mr.  Havisham  asked. 

"  He  's  Dick's  partner,  and  he  is  the  worst  partner  a  fellow 
could  have !  Dick  says  so.  He  is  n't  a  credit  to  the  business, 
and  he  is  n't  square.  He  cheats,  and  that  makes  Dick  mad. 
It  would  make  you  mad,  you  know,  if  you  were  blacking  boots 
as  hard  as  you  could,  and  being  square  all  the  time,  and  your 
partner  was  n't  square  at  all.  People  like  Dick,  but  they  don't 
like  Jake,  and  so  sometimes  they  don't  come  twice.  So  if  I  were 
rich,  I'd  buy  Jake  out  and  get  Dick  a  'boss'  sign — 'he  says  a 
'boss'  sign  goes  a  long  way;  and  I  'd  get  him  some  new  clothes 
and  new  brushes,  and  start  him  out  fair.  He  says  all  he  wants  is 
to  start  out  fair." 

3 


34  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

There  could  have  been  nothing  more  confiding  and  innocent 
than  the  way  in  which  his  small  lordship  told  his  little  story,  quoting 
his  friend  Dick's  bits  of  slang  in  the  most  candid  good  faith.  He 
seemed  to  feel  not  a  shade  of  a  doubt  that  his  elderly  companion 
would  be  just  as  interested  as  he  was  himself.  And  in  truth  Mr. 
Havisham  was  beginning  to  be  greatly  interested ;  but  perhaps  not 
quite  so  much  in  Dick  and  the  apple-woman  as  in  this  kind  little 
lordling,  whose  curly  head  was  so  busy,  under  its  yellow  thatch,  with 
good-natured  plans  for  his  friends,  and  who  seemed  somehow  to  have 
forgotten  himself  altogether. 

"  Is  there  anything "  he  began.      "What  would  you  get  for 

yourself,  if  you  were  rich  ?  " 

"  Lots  of  things!"  answered  Lord  Fauntleroy  briskly;  "but  first 
I  'd  give  Mary  some  money  for  Bridget — 'that  's  her  sister,  with 
twelve  children,  and  a  husband  out  of  work.  She  comes  here  and 
cries,  and  Dearest  gives  her  things  in  a  basket  and  then  she  cries 
again,  and  says :  '  Blessin's  be  on  yez,  for  a  beautiful  lady.'  And  I 
think  Mr.  Hobbs  would  like  a  gold  watch  and  chain  to  remember  me 
by,  and  a  meerschaum  pipe.     And  then  I  'd  like  to  get  up  a  company." 

"  A  company  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Havisham. 

"  Like   a   Republican    rally,"    explained    Cedric,    becoming    quite 
excited,     "  I  'd  have  torches  and  uniforms  and  things  for  all  the  boys 
and   myself,  too.      And  we  'd  march,   you  know,  and  drill.      That  's 
what  I  should  like  for  myself,  if  I  were  rich." 
The  door  opened  and  Mrs.  Errol  came  in. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  been  obliged  to  leave  you  so  long,"  she  said 
to  Mr.  Havisham;  "but  a  poor  woman,  who  is  in  great  trouble, 
came  to  see  me." 

"  This  young  gentleman,"  said  Mr.  Havisham.  "  has  been  telling 
me  about  some  of  his  friends,  and  what  he  would  do  for  them  if  he 
were  rich." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  35 

"Bridget  is  one  of  his  friends,"  said  Mrs.  Errol ;  "and  it  is 
Bridget  to  whom  I  have  been  talking-  in  the  kitchen.  She  is  in 
great  trouble  now  because  her  husband  has  rheumatic  fever." 

Cedric  slipped  down  out  of  his  big  chair. 
"  I  think  I  '11  go  and  see  her,"  he  said,  "and  ask  her  how  he  is. 
He  's  a  nice  man  when  he  is  well.      I  'm  obliged  to  him  because  he 
once  made  me  a  sword  out  of  wood.      He  's  a  very  talented  man." 

He  ran  out  of  the  room,  and  Mr.  Havisham  rose  from  his  chair. 
He  seemed  to  have  something  in  his  mind  which  he  wished  to  speak 
of.  He  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  said,  looking  down  at  Mrs. 
Errol : 

"  Before  I  left  Dorincourt  Castle,  I  had  an  interview  with  the 
Earl,  in  which  he  gave  me  some  instructions.  He  is  desirous  that 
his  grandson  should  look  forward  with  some  pleasure  to  his  future 
life  in  England,  and  also  to  his  acquaintance  with  himself.  He  said 
that  I  must  let  his  lordship  know  that  the  change  in  his  life  would 
bring  him  money  and  the  pleasures  children  enjoy ;  if  he  expressed 
any  wishes,  I  was  to  gratify  them,  and  to  tell  him  that  his  grand- 
father had  given  him  what  he  wished.  I  am  aware  that  the  Earl  did 
not  expect  anything  quite  like  this ;  but  if  it  would  give  Lord  Faunt- 
leroy  pleasure  to  assist  this  poor  woman,  I  should  feel  that  the  Earl 
would  be  displeased  if  he  were  not  gratified." 

For  the  second  time,  he  did  not  repeat  the  Earl's  exact  words. 
His  lordship  had,  indeed,  said : 

"  Make  the  lad  understand  that  I  can  give  him  anything  he 
wants.  Let  him  know  what  it  is  to  be  the  grandson  of  the  Earl  of 
Dorincourt.  Buy  him  everything  he  takes  a  fancy  to ;  let  him  have 
money  in  his  pockets,  and  tell  him  his  grandfather  put  it  there." 

His  motives  were  far  from  being  good,  and  if  he  had  been 
dealing  with  a  nature  less  affectionate  and  warm-hearted  than  little 
Lord  Fauntleroy's,  great  harm  might  have  been  done.     And  Cedric's. 


2,6  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

mother  was  too  gentle  to  suspect  any  harm.  She  thought  that  per- 
haps this  meant  that  a  lonely,  unhappy  old  man,  whose  children  were 
dead,  wished  to  be  kind  to  her  little  boy,  and  win  his  love  and  confi- 
dence. And  it  pleased  jjer  very  much  to  think  that  Ceddie  would 
be  able  to  help  Bridget.  It  made  her  happier  to  know  that  the  very 
first  result  of  the  strange  fortune  which  had  befallen  her  little  boy 
was  that  he  could  do  kind  things  for  those  who  needed  kindness. 
Quite  a  warm  color  bloomed  on  her  pretty  young  face. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  said,  "  that  was  very  kind  of  the  Earl  ;  Cedric  will  be 
so  glad !  He  has  always  been  fond  of  Bridget  and  Michael.  They 
are  quite  deserving.  I  have  often  wished  I  had  been  able  to  help 
them  more.  Michael  is  a  hard-working  man  when  he  is  well,  but 
he  has  been  ill  a  long  time  and  needs  expensive  medicines  and  warm 
clothing  and  nourishing  food.  He  and  Bridget  will  not  be  wasteful 
of  what  is  given  them." 

Mr.  Havisham  put  his  thin  hand  in  his  breast  pocket  and  drew 
forth  a  large  pocket-book.  There  was  a  queer  look  in  his  keen  face. 
The  truth  was,  he  was  wondering  what  the  Earl  of  Dorinccurt  would 
say  when  he  was  told  what  was  the  first  wish  of  his  grandson  that 
had  been  granted.  He  wondered  what  the  cross,  worldly,  selfish  old 
nobleman  would  think  of  it. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  you  have  realized,"  he  said,  "that  the  Earl 
of  Dorincourt  is  an  exceedingly  rich  man.  He  can  afford  to  gratify 
any  caprice.  I  think  it  would  please  him  to  know  that  Lord  Faunt- 
leroy  had  been  indulged  in  any  fancy.  If  you  will  call  him  back  and 
allow  me,  I  shall  give  him  five  pounds  for  these  people." 

"  That  would  be  twenty-five  dollars  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Errol.  "  It 
will  seem  like  wealth  to  them.     "  I  can  scarcely  believe  that  it  is  true." 

"  It  is  quite  true,"  said  Mr.  Havisham,  with  his  dry  smile.  "  A 
great  change  has  taken  place  in  your  son's  life,  a  great  deal  of  power 
-will  lie  in  his  hands." 


TTTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  Z7 


"  Oh  !"  cried  his  mother.  "  And  he  is  such  a  little  boy —  a  very 
little  boy.  How  can  I  teach  him  to  use  it  well  ?  It  makes  me  half 
afraid.      My  pretty  little  Ceddie  !  " 

The  lawyer  slightly  cleared  his  throat.  It  touched  his  worldly, 
hard  old  heart  to  see  the  tender,  timid  look  in  her  brown  eyes. 

"  I  think,  madam,"  he  said,  "that  if  I  may  judge  from  my  inter- 
view with  Lord  Fauntleroy  this  morning,  the  next  Earl  of  Dorin- 
court  will  think  for  others  as  well  as  for  his  noble  self.  He  is  only  a 
child  yet,  but  I  think  he  may  be  trusted." 

Then  his  mother  went  for  Cedric  and  brought  him  back  into  the 
parlor.      Mr.  Havisham  heard  him  talking  before  he  entered  the  room. 

"It's  infam-natory  rheumatism,"  he  was  saying,  "and  that's  a 
kind  of  rheumatism  that  's  dreadful.  And  he  thinks  about  the  rent 
not  being  paid,  and  Bridget  says  that  makes  the  inf'ammation  worse. 
And  Pat  could  get  a  place  in  a  store  if  he  had  some  clothes." 

His  little  face  looked  quite  anxious  when  he  came  in.  He  was 
very  sorry  for  Bridget. 

"  Dearest  said  you  wanted  me,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Havisham.  "  I  've 
been  talking  to  Bridget." 

Mr.  Havisham  looked  down  at  him  a  moment.  He  felt  a  little 
awkward  and  undecided.  As  Cedric's  mother  had  said,  he  was  a 
very  little  boy. 

"  The  Earl  of  Dorincourt "  he  began,  and  then  he  glanced 

involuntarily  at  Mrs.  Errol. 

Little  Lord  Fauntleroy's  mother  suddenly  kneeled  down  by  him 
and  put  both  her  tender  arms  around  his  childish  body. 

"  Ceddie,"  she  said,  "  the  Earl  is  your  grandpapa,  your  own 
papa's  father.  He  is  very,  very  kind,  and  he  loves  you  and  wishes 
you  to  love  him,  because  the  sons  who  were  his  little  boys  are  dead. 
He  wishes  you  to  be  happy  and  to  make  other  people  happy.  He  is 
very  rich,  and  he  wishes  you  to  have  everything  you  would  like  to 


38  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


have.  He  told  Mr.  Havisham  so,  and  gave  him  a  great  deal  of 
money  for  you.  You  can  give  some  to  Bridget  now ;  enough  to  pay 
her  rent  and  buy  Michael  everything.  Is  n't  that  fine,  Ceddie  ? 
Is  n't  he  good  ? "  And  she  kissed  the  child  on  his  round  cheek, 
where  the  bright  color  suddenly  flashed  up  in  his  excited  amazement. 
He  looked  from  his  mother  to  Mr.  Havisham. 

"Can  I  have  it  now?"  he  cried.  "Can  I  give  it  to  her  this 
minute  ?      She  's  just  going." 

Mr.  Havisham  handed  him  the  money.      It  was  in  fresh,  clean 
greenbacks  and  made  a  neat  roll. 

Ceddie  flew  out  of  the  room  with  it. 

"Bridget!"  they  heard  him  shout,  as  he  tore  into  the  kitchen. 
"  Bridget,  wait  a  minute  !  Here  's  some  money.  It  's  for  you,  and 
you  can  pay  the  rent.  My  grandpapa  gave  it  to  me.  It  's  for  you 
and  Michael  ! " 

"  Oh,  Master  Ceddie  ! "  cried  Bridget,  in  an  awe-stricken  voicec 
"  It  's  twinty-foive  dollars  is  here.     Where  be's  the  misthress  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  shall  have  to  go  and  explain  it  to  her,"  Mrs.  Errol  said. 
So  she,  too,  went  out  of  the  room  and  Mr.  Havisham  was  left 
alone  for  a  while.  He  went  to  the  window  and  stood  looking  out 
into  the  street  reflectively.  He  was  thinking  of  the  old  Earl  of 
Dorincourt,  sitting  in  his  great,  splendid,  gloomy  library  at  the 
castle,  gouty  and  lonely,  surrounded  by  grandeur  and  luxury,  but 
not  really  loved  by  any  one,  because  in  all  his  long  life  he  had  never 
really  loved  any  one  but  himself;  he  had  been  selfish  and  self-indul- 
gent and  arrogant  and  passionate ;  he  had  cared  so  much  for  the 
Earl  of  Dorincourt  and  his  pleasures  that  there  had  been  no  time  for 
him  to  think  of  other  people  ;  all  his  wealth  and  power,  all  the  bene- 
fits from  his  noble  name  and  high  rank,  had  seemed  to  him  to  be 
things  only  to  be  used  to  amuse  and  give  pleasure  to  the  Earl  of 
Dorincourt ;   and  now  that  he  was  an  old  man,  all   this  excitement 


LITTLE  LORD  FA  UN  TLB  ROY.  39 

and  self-indulgence  had  only  brought  him  ill  health  and  irritability 
and  a  dislike  of  the  world,  which  certainly  disliked  him.  In  spite  of 
all  his  splendor,  there  was  never  a  more  unpopular  old  nobleman 
than  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt,  and  there  could  scarcely  have  been  a 
more  lonely  one.  He  could  fill  his  castle  with  guests  if  he  chose. 
He  could  give  great  dinners  and  splendid  hunting  parties ;  but  he 
knew  that  in  secret  the  people  who  would  accept  his  invitations  were 
afraid  of  his  frowning  old  face  and  sarcastic,  biting  speeches.  He 
had  a  cruel  tongue  and  a  bitter  nature,  and  he  took  pleasure  in 
sneering  at  people  and  making  them  feel  uncomfortable,  when  he  had 
the  power  to  do  so,  because  they  were  sensitive  or  proud  or  timid. 

Mr.  Havisham  knew  his  hard,  fierce  ways  by  heart,  and  he  was 
thinking  of  him  as  he  looked  out  of  the  window  into  the  narrow, 
quiet  street.  And  there  rose  in  his  mind,  in  sharp  contrast,  the 
picture  of  the  cheery,  handsome  little  fellow  sitting  in  the  big  chair 
and  telling  his  story  of  his  friends,  Dick  and  the  apple-woman,  in 
his  generous,  innocent,  honest  way.  And  he  thought  of  the  immense 
income,  the  beautiful,  majestic  estates,  the  wealth,  and  power  for 
good  or  evil,  which  in  the  course  of  time  would  lie  in  the  small, 
chubby  hands  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  thrust  so  deep  into  his  pockets. 

"  It  will  make  a  great  difference,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  It  will 
make  a  great  difference." 

Cedric  and  his  mother  came  back  soon  after.  Cedric  was  in  high 
spirits.  He  sat  down  in  his  own  chair,  between  his  mother  and  the 
lawyer,  and  fell  into  one  of  his  quaint  attitudes,  with  his  hands  on  his 
knees.    He  was  glowing  with  enjoyment  of  Bridget's  relief  and  rapture. 

"  She  cried  ! "  he  said.  "  She  said  she  was  crying  for  joy  !  I 
never  saw  any  one  cry  for  joy  before.  My  grandpapa  must  be  a 
very  good  man.  I  did  n't  know  he  was  so  good  a  man.  It  's 
more  —  more  agreeabler  to  be  an  earl  than  I  thought  it  was.  I  'm 
almost  glad  —  I  'm  almost  quite  glad  I  'm  going  to  be  one." 


Ill 

Cedric's  good  opinion  of  the  advantages  of  being  an  earl 
increased  greatly  during  the  next  week.  It  seemed  almost 
impossible  for  him  to  realize  that  there  was  scarcely  anything 
he  might  wish  to  do  which  he  could  not  do  easily ;  in  fact,  I  think  it 
may  be  said  that  he  did  not  fully  realize  it  at  all.  But  at  least  he 
understood,  after  a  few  conversations  with  Mr.  Havisham,  that  he 
could  gratify  all  his  nearest  wishes,  and  he  proceeded  to  gratify 
them  with  a  simplicity  and  delight  which  caused  Mr.  Havisham  much 
diversion.  In  the  week  before  they  sailed  for  England  he  did  many 
curious  things.  The  lawyer  long  after  remembered  the  morning 
they  went  down-town  together  to  pay  a  visit  to  Dick,  and  the  after- 
noon they  so  amazed  the  apple-woman  of  ancient  lineage  by  stop- 
ping before  her  stall  and  telling  her  she  was  to  have  a  tent,  and  a 
stove,  and  a  shawl,  and  a  sum  of  money  which  seemed  to  her  quite 
wonderful. 

"  For  I  have  to  go  to  England  and  be  a  lord,"  explained  Cedric, 
sweet-temperedly.  "  And  I  should  n't  like  to  have  your  bones  on 
my  mind  every  time  it  rained.  My  own  bones  never  hurt,  so  I  think 
I  don't  know  how  painful  a  person's  bones  can  be,  but  I  've  sympa- 
thized with  you  a  great  deal,  and  I  hope  you  '11  be  better." 

"  She  's  a  very  good  apple-woman,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Havisham,  as 
they  walked  away,  leaving  the  proprietress  of  the  stall  almost  gasp- 
ing for  breath,  and  not  at  all  believing  in  her  great  fortune,    "  Once, 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


41 


when  I  fell  down  and  cut  my  knee,  she  gave  me  an  apple  for  noth- 
ing. I  've  always  remembered  her  for  it.  You  know  you  always 
remember  people  who  are  kind  to  you." 

It  had  never  occurred  to  his  honest,  simple  little  mind  that  there 
were    people   who    could    forget 
kindnesses. 

The  interview  with  Dick 
was  quite  exciting.  Dick  had 
just  been  having  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  with  Jake,  and  was  in 
low  spirits  when  they  saw  him. 
His  amazement  when  Cedric 
calmly  announced  that  they  had 
come  to  give  him  what  seemed  a 
very  great  thing  to  him,  and  would 
set  all  his  troubles  right,  almost 
struck  him  dumb.  Lord  Faunt- 
leroy's  manner  of  announcing 
the  object  of  his  visit  was  very 
simple  and  unceremonious.  Mr. 
Havisham  was  much  impressed 
by^  its  directness  as  he  stood  by 
and  listened.  The  statement  that 
his  old  friend  had  become  a  lord, 
and  was  in  danger  of  being-  an 
earl  if  he  lived  long  enough, 
caused  Dick  to  so  open  his  eyes 
and  mouth,  and  start,  that  his 
cap  fell  off.  When  he  picked 
it  up,  he  uttered  a  rather  singular  exclamation, 
thought  it  singular,  but  Cedric  had  heard  it  before. 


'I  HAVE  TO  GO  TO  ENG- 
LAND AND  BE  A  LORD." 


Mr.  Havisham 


42  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

" 1  soy  !  "  he  said,  "  what  're  yer  givin'  us  ?  "  This  plainly  embar- 
rassed his  lordship  a  little,  but  he  bore  himself  bravely. 

"  Everybody  thinks  it  not  true  at  first,"  he  said.  "  Mr.  Hobbs 
thought  I  'd  had  a  sunstroke.  I  did  n't  think  I  was  going  to  like  it 
myself,  but  I  like  it  better  now  I  'm  used  to  it.  The  one  who  is  the 
earl  now,  he  's  my  grandpapa ;  and  he  wants  me  to  do  anything  I 
like.  He  's  very  kind,  if  he  is  an  earl ;  and  he  sent  me  a  lot  of 
money  by  Mr.  Havisham,  and  I  Ve  brought  some  to  you  to  buy 
Jake  out." 

And  the  end  of  the  matter  was  that  Dick  actually  bought  Jake 
out,  and  found  himself  the  possessor  of  the  business  and  some  new 
brushes  and  a  most  astonishing  sign  and  outfit.  He  could  not 
believe  in  his  good  luck  any  more  easily  than  the  apple-woman  of 
ancient  lineage  could  believe  in  hers ;  he  walked  about  like  a  boot- 
black in  a  dream ;  he  stared  at  his  young  benefactor  and  felt  as  if  he 
might  wake  up  at  any  moment.  He  scarcely  seemed  to  realize  any- 
thing until  Cedric  put  out  his  hand  to  shake  hands  with  him  before 
going  away. 

"  Well,  good-bye,"  he  said  ;  and  though  he  tried  to  speak  steadily, 
there  was  a  little  tremble  in  his  voice  and  he  winked  his  big  brown 
eyes.  "  And  I  hope  trade  '11  be  good.  I  'm  sorry  I  'm  going  away 
to  leave  you,  but  perhaps  I  shall  come  back  again  when  I  'm  an  earl. 
And  I  wish  you  'd  write  to  me,  because  we  were  always  good  friends. 
And  if  you  write  to  me,  here  's  where  you  must  send  your  letter." 
And  he  gave  him  a  slip  of  paper.  "  And  my  name  is  n't  Cedric 
Errol  any  more  ;   it  's  Lord  Fauntleroy  and — and  good-bye,  Dick." 

Dick  winked  his  eyes  also,  and  yet  they  looked  rather  moist 
about  the  lashes.  He  was  not  an  educated  boot-black,  and  he  would 
have  found  it  difficult  to  tell  what  he  felt  just  then  if  he  had  tried; 
perhaps  that  was  why  he  did  n't  try,  and  only  winked  his  eyes  and 
swallowed  a  lump  in  his  throat. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  43 

"  I  wish  ye  was  n't  goin'  away,"  he  said  in  a  husky  voice.  Then 
he  winked  his  eyes  again.  Then  he  looked  at  Mr.  Havisham,  and 
touched  his  cap.  "  Thanky,  sir,  fur  bringin'  him  down  here  an'  fur 
wot  ye  've  done,  He  's  —  he  's  a  queer  little  feller,"  he  added. 
"  I  've  allers  thort  a  heap  of  him.  He  's  such  a  game  little  feller, 
an' — an'  such  a  queer  little  un." 

And  when  they  turned  away  he  stood  and  looked  after  them 
in  a  dazed  kind  of  way,  and  there  was  still  a  mist  in  his  eyes,  and  a 
lump  in  his  throat,  as  he  watched  the  gallant  little  figure  marching 
gayly  along  by  the  side  of  its  tall,  rigid  escort. 

Until  the  day  of  his  departure,  his  lordship  spent  as  much  time 
as  possible  with  Mr.  Hobbs  in  the  store.  Gloom  had  settled  upon 
Mr.  Hobbs  ;  he  was  much  depressed  in  spirits.  When  his  young  friend 
brought  to  him  in  triumph  the  parting  gift  of  a  gold  watch  and  chain, 
Mr.  Hobbs  found  it  difficult  to  acknowledge  it  properly.  He  laid  the 
case  on  his  stout  knee,  and  blew  his  nose  violently  several  times. 

"There's  something  written  on  it,"  said  Cedric, — "inside  the 
case.  I  told  the  man  myself  what  to  say.  '  From  his  oldest  friend, 
Lord  Fauntleroy,  to  Mr.  Hobbs.  When  this  you  see,  remember  me.' 
I  don't  want  you  to  forget  me." 

Mr.  Hobbs  blew  his  nose  very  loudly  again. 

"  I  sha'n't  forget  you,"  he  said,  speaking  a  trifle  huskily,  as  Dick 
had  spoken ;  "  nor  don't  you  go  and  forget  me  when  you  get  among 
the  British  arrystocracy." 

"  I  should  n't  forget  you,  whoever  I  was  among,"  answered  his 
lordship.  "  I  've  spent  my  happiest  hours  with  you  ;  at  least,  some 
of  my  happiest  hours.  I  hope  you  '11  come  to  see  me  sometime. 
I  'm  sure  my  grandpapa  would  be  very  much  pleased.  Perhaps  he  '11 
write  and  ask  you,  when  I  tell  him  about  you.  You — you  would  n't 
mind  his  being  an  earl,  would  you  ?  I  mean  you  would  n't  stay 
away  just  because  he  was  one,  if  he  invited  you  to  come  ? " 


44  LITTLE  LORD  EAUNTLEROY. 

"  I  'd  come  to  see  you,"  replied  Mr.  Hobbs,  graciously. 

So  it  seemed  to  be  agreed  that  if  he  received  a  pressing  invita- 
tion from  the  earl  to  come  and  spend  a  few  months  at  Dorincourt 
Castle,  he  was  to  lay  aside  his  republican  prejudices  and  pack  his 
valise  at  once. 

At  last  all  the  preparations  were  complete ;  the  day  came  when 
the  trunks  were  taken  to  the  steamer,  and  the  hour  arrived  when  the 
carriage  stood  at  the  door.  Then  a  curious  feeling  of  loneliness 
came  upon  the  little  boy.  His  mamma  had  been  shut  up  in  her 
room  for  some  time ;  when  she  came  down  the  stairs,  her  eyes  looked 
large  and  wet,  and  her  sweet  mouth  was  trembling.  Cedric  went  to 
her,  and  she  bent  down  to  him,  and  he  put  his  arms  around  her,  and 
they  kissed  each  other.  He  knew  something  made  them  both  sorry, 
though  he  scarcely  knew  what  it  was ;  but  one  tender  little  thought 
rose  to  his  lips. 

"  We  liked  this  little  house,  Dearest,  did  n't  we  ?  "  he  said.     "  We 
always  will  like  it,  wont  we  ?  " 

"  Yes — yes,"    she    answered,   in    a   low,    sweet    voice.       "  Yes, 
darling." 

And  then  they  went  into  the  carriage  and  Cedric  sat  very  close 
to  her,  and  as  she  looked  back  out  of  the  window,  he  looked  at  her 
and  stroked  her  hand  and  held  it  close. 

And  then,  it  seemed  almost  directly,  they  were  on  the  steamer 
in  the  midst  of  the  wildest  bustle  and  confusion ;  carriages  were 
driving  down  and  leaving  passengers ;  passengers  were  getting  into 
a  state  of  excitement  about  baggage  which  had  not  arrived  and 
threatened  to  be  too  late ;  big  trunks  and  cases  were  being  bumped 
down  and  dragged  about ;  sailors  were  uncoiling  ropes  and  hurrying 
to  and  fro ;  officers  were  giving  orders ;  ladies  and  gentlemen  and 
children  and  nurses  were  coming  on  board, — some  were  laughing 
and  looked  gay,  some  were  silent  and  sad,  here  and  there  two  or 


DICK    BOARDS   THE    STEAMER   TO    BID    GOOD-BYE   TO    LORD    FAUNTLEROY. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  47 

three  were  crying  and  touching  their  eyes  with  their  handkerchiefs. 
Cedric  found  something  to  interest  him  on  every  side ;  he  looked  at 
the  piles  of  rope,  at  the  furled  sails,  at  the  tall,  tall  masts  which 
seemed  almost  to  touch  the  hot  blue  sky ;  he  began  to  make  plans 
for  conversing  with  the  sailors  and  gaining  some  information  on  the 
subject  of  pirates. 

It  was  just  at  the  very  last,  when  he  was  standing  leaning  on 
the  railing  of  the  upper  deck  and  watching  the  final  preparations, 
enjoying  the  excitement  and  the  shouts  of  the  sailors  and  wharfmen, 
that  his  attention  was  called  to  a  slight  bustle  in  one  of  the  groups 
not  far  from  him.  Some  one  was  hurriedly  forcing  his  way  through 
this  group  and  coming  toward  him.  It  was  a  boy,  with  something 
red  in  his  hand.  It  was  Dick.  He  came  up  to  Cedric  quite 
breathless. 

"  I  've  run  all  the  way,"  he  said.  "  I  've  come  down  to  see  ye  off. 
Trade  's  been  prime !  I  bought  this  for  ye  out  o'  what  I  made 
yesterday.  Ye  kin  wear  it  when  ye  get  among  the  swells.  I  lost 
the  paper  when  I  was  tryin'  to  get  through  them  fellers  downstairs. 
They  did  n't  want  to  let  me  up.     It 's  a  hankercher." 

He  poured  it  all  forth  as  if  in  one  sentence.  A  bell  rang,  and 
he  made  a  leap  away  before  Cedric  had  time  to  speak. 

"  Good-bye  ! "  he  panted.  "  Wear  it  when  ye  get  among  the 
swells."     And  he  darted  off  and  was  gone. 

A  few  seconds  later  they  saw  him  struggle  through  the  crowd 
on  the  lower  deck,  and  rush  on  shore  just  before  the  gang-plank  was 
drawn  in.     He  stood  on  the  wharf  and  waved  his  cap. 

Cedric  held  the  handkerchief  in  his  hand.  It  was  of  bright  red 
silk  ornamented  with  purple  horseshoes  and  horses'  heads. 

There  was  a  great  straining  and  creaking  and  confusion.  The 
people  on  the  wharf  began  to  shout  to  their  friends,  and  the  people 
on  the  steamer  shouted  back : 


48 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


"  Good-bye  !  Good-bye  !  Good-bye,  old  fellow  ! "  Every  one 
seemed  to  be  saying,  "  Don't  forget  us.  Write  when  you  get  to 
Liverpool.      Good-bye  !      Good-bye  !  " 

Little  Lord  Fauntleroy  leaned  forward  and  waved  the  red 
handkerchief. 

"  Good-bye,  Dick  !  "  he  shouted,  lustily.  "  Thank  you  !  Good- 
bye, Dick  !  " 

And  the  big  steamer  moved  away,  and  the  people  cheered 
again,  and  Cedric's  mother  drew  the  veil  over  her  eyes,  and  on  the 
shore  there  was  left  great  confusion;  but  Dick  saw  nothing  save  that 
bright,  childish  face  and  the  bright  hair  that  the  sun  shone  on  and 
the  breeze  lifted,  and  he  heard  nothing  but  the  hearty  childish  voice 
calling  "  Good-bye,  Dick  !  "  as  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  steamed  slowly 
away  from  the  home  of  his  birth  to  the  unknown  land  of  his  ancestors. 


IV 

It  was  during  the  voyage  that  Cedric's  mother  told  him  that  his 
home  was  not  to  be  hers ;  and  when  he  first  understood  it,  his 
grief  was  so  great  that  Mr.  Havisham  saw  that  the  Earl  had 
been  wise  in  making  the  arrangements  that  his  mother  should  be 
quite  near  him,  and  see  him  often  ;  for  it  was  very  plain  he  could 
not  have  borne  the  separation  otherwise.  But  his  mother  managed 
the  little  fellow  so  sweetly  and  lovingly,  and  made  him  feel  that  she 
would  be  so  near  him,  that,  after  a  while,  he  ceased  to  be  oppressed 
by  the  fear  of  any  real  parting. 

"  My  house  is  not  far  from  the  Castle,  Ceddie,"  she  repeated  each 
time  the  subject  was  referred  to — "  a  very  little  way  from  yours,  and 
you  can  always  run  in  and  see  me  every  day,  and  you  will  have  so 
many  things  to  tell  me  !  and  we  shall  be  so  happy  together  !  It  is  a 
beautiful  place.  Your  papa  has  often  told  me  about  it.  He  loved 
it  very  much  ;   and  you  will  love  it  too." 

"  I  should  love  it  better  if  you  were  there,"  his  small  lordship  said, 
with  a  heavy  little  sigh. 

He  could  not  but  feel  puzzled  by  so  strange  a  state  of  affairs, 
which  could  put  his  "Dearest"  in  one  house  and  himself  in  another. 
The  fact  was  that  Mrs.  Errol  had  thought  it  better  not  to  tell 
him  why  this  plan  had  been  made. 

"  I  should  prefer  he  should  not  be  told,"  she  said  to  Mr.  Hav- 
isham. "  He  would  not  really  understand ;  he  would  only  be 
shocked  and  hurt ;   and  I  feel  sure  that  his  feeling  for  the  Earl  will 

4  49 


50  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

be  a  more  natural  and  affectionate  one  if  he  does  not  know  that  his 
grandfather  dislikes  me  so  bitterly.  He  has  never  seen  hatred  or 
hardness,  and  it  would  be  a  great  blow  to  him  to  find  out  that  any 
one  could  hate  me.  He  is  so  loving  himself,  and  I  am  so  dear  to 
him!  It  is  better  for  him  that  he  should  not  be  told  until  he  is  much 
older,  and  it  is  far  better  for  the  Earl.  It  would  make  a  barrier 
between  them,  even  though  Ceddie  is  such  a  child." 

So  Cedric  only  knew  that  there  was  some  mysterious  reason  for 
the  arrangement,  some  reason  which  he  was  not  old  enough  to 
understand,  but  which  would  be  explained  when  he  was  older.  He 
was  puzzled ;  but,  after  all,  it  was  not  the  reason  he  cared  about  so 
much ;  and  after  many  talks  with  his  mother,  in  which  she  comforted 
him  and  placed  before  him  the  bright  side  of  the  picture,  the  dark 
side  of  it  gradually  began  to  fade  out,  though  now  and  then  Mr. 
Havisham  saw  him  sitting  in  some  queer  little  old-fashioned  attitude, 
watching  the  sea,  with  a  very  grave  face,  and  more  than  once  he 
heard  an  unchildish  sigh  rise  to  his  lips. 

"  I  don't  like  it,"  he  said  once  as  he  was  having  one  of  his  almost 
venerable  talks  with  the  lawyer.  "  You  don't  know  how  much  I 
don't  like  it ;  but  there  are  a  great  many  troubles  in  this  world,  and 
you  have  to  bear  them.  Mary  says  so,  and  I  've  heard  Mr.  Hobbs 
say  it  too.  And  Dearest  wants  me  to  like  to  live  with  my  grandpapa, 
because,  you  see,  all  his  children  are  dead,  and  that 's  very  mourn- 
ful. It  makes  you  sorry  for  a  man,  when  all  his  children  have  died — 
and  one  was  killed  suddenly." 

One  of  the  things  which  always  delighted  the  people  who  made 
the  acquaintance  of  his  young  lordship  was  the  sage  little  air  he 
wore  at  times  when  he  gave  himself  up  to  conversation ; — combined 
with  his  occasionally  elderly  remarks  and  the  extreme  innocence  and 
seriousness  of  his  round  childish  face,  it  was  irresistible.  He  was 
such  a  handsome,  blooming,  curly-headed  little  fellow,  that,  when  he 


LITTLE   LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  5 1 

sat  down  ancl  nursed  his  knee  with  his  chubby  hands,  and  conversed 
with  much  gravity,  he  was  a  source  of  great  entertainment  to  his 
hearers.  Gradually  Mr.  Havisham  had  begun  to  derive  a  great  deal 
of  private  pleasure  and  amusement  from  his  society. 

"  And  so  you  are  going  to  try  to  like  the  Earl,"  he  said, 

"  Yes,"  answered  his  lordship.  "  He  's  my  relation,  and  of  course 
you 'have  to  like  your  relations;  and  besides,  he  's  been  very  kind 
to  me.  When  a  person  does  so  many  things  for  you,  and  wants  you 
to  have  everything  you  wish  for,  of  course  you  'd  like  him  if  he  was 
n't  your  relation;  but  when  he  's  your  relation  and  does  that,  why, 
you  're  very  fond  of  him." 

"  Do  you  think,"  suggested  Mr.  Havisham,  ''that  he  will  be  fond 
of  you  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Cedric,  "  I  think  he  will,  because,  you  see,  I  'm  his 
relation,  too,  and  I  'm  his  boy's  little  boy  besides,  and,  well,  don't 
you  see  —  of  course  he  must  be  fond  of  me  now,  or  he  would  n't 
want  me  to  have  everything  that  I  like,  and  he  would  n't  have  sent 
you  for  me." 

"  Oh  !  "  remarked  the  lawyer,  "  that  's  it,  is  it?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Cedric,  "  that  's  it.  Don't  you  think  that  's  it,  too? 
Of  course  a  man  would  be  fond  of  his  grandson." 

The  people  who  had  been  seasick  had  no  sooner  recovered  from 
their  seasickness,  and  come  on  deck  to  recline  in  their  steamer-chairs 
and  enjoy  themselves,  than  every  one  seemed  to  know  the  romantic 
story  of  little  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  every  one  took  an  interest  in  the 
little  fellow,  who  ran  about  the  ship  or  walked  with  his  mother  or  the 
tall,  thin  old  lawyer,  or  talked  to  the  sailors.  Every  one  liked  him  ; 
he  made  friends  everywhere.  He  was  ever  ready  to  make  friends. 
When  the  gentlemen  walked  up  and  down  the  deck,  and  let  him 
walk  with  them,  he  stepped  out  with  a  manly,  sturdy  little  tramp, 
and  answered  all  their  jokes  with  much  gay  enjoyment ;  when  the 


52  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

ladies  talked  to  him,  there  was  always  laughter  in  the  group  of  which 
he  was  the  center;  when  he  played  with  the  children,  there  was 
always  magnificent  fun  on  hand.  Among  the  sailors  he  had  the 
heartiest  friends;  he  heard  miraculous  stories  about  pirates  and  ship- 
wrecks and  desert  islands ;  he  learned  to  splice  ropes  and  rig  toy 
ships,  and  gained  an  amount  of  information  concerning  "tops'ls"  and 
"  mains'ls,"  quite  surprising.  His  conversation  had,  indeed,  quite  a 
nautical  flavor  at  times,  and  on  one  occasion  he  raised  a  shout  of 
laughter  in  a  group  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  were  sitting  on 
deck,  wrapped  in  shawls  and  overcoats,  by  saying  sweetly,  and  with 
a  very  engaging  expression  : 

"  Shiver  my  timbers,  but  it  's  a  cold  day  !  " 
It  surprised  him  when  they  laughed.  He  had  picked  up  this 
sea-faring  remark  from  an  "elderly  naval  man"  of  the  name  of 
Jerry,  who  told  him  stories  in  which  it  occurred  frequently.  To  judge 
from  his  stories  of  his  own  adventures,  Jerry  had  made  some  two  or 
three  thousand  voyages,  and  had  been  invariably  shipwrecked  on 
each  occasion  on  an  island  densely  populated  with  bloodthirsty  canni- 
bals. Judging,  also,  by  these  same  exciting  adventures,  he  had  been 
partially  roasted  and  eaten  frequently  and  had  been  scalped  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  times. 

"  That  is  why  he  is  so  bald,"  explained  Lord  Fauntleroy  to  his 
mamma.  "  After  you  have  been  scalped  several  times  the  hair  never 
grows  again.  Jerry's  never  grew  again  after  that  last  time,  when  the 
King"  of  the  Parromachaweekins  did  it  with  the  knife  made  out  of  the 
skull  of  the  Chief  of  the  Wopslemumpkies.  He  says  it  was  one  of  the 
most  serious  times  he  ever  had.  He  was  so  frightened  that  his  hair 
stood  right  straight  up  when  the  king  flourished  his  knife,  and  it  never 
would  lie  down,  and  the  king  wears  it  that  way  now,  and  it  looks  some- 
thing like  a  hair-brush.  I  never  heard  anything  like  the  asperiences 
Jerry  has  had  !      I  should  so  like  to  tell  Mr.  Hobbs  about  them  !  " 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEEOY. 


53 


Sometimes,  when  the  weather  was  very  disagreeable  and  people 
were  kept  below  decks  in  the  saloon,  a  party  of  his  grown-up  friends 
would  persuade  him  to  tell  them 


some  of  these  "  asperiences  "  of 
Jerry's,  and  as  he  sat  relating 
them  with  great  delight  and 
fervor,  there  was  certainly  no 
more  popular  voyager  on  any 
ocean  steamer  crossing  the  At- 
lantic than  little  Lord  Faunt- 
leroy.  He  was  always  innocently 
and  good-naturedly  ready  to  do 
his  small  best  to  add  to  the  gen- 
eral entertainment,  and  there 
was  a  charm  in  the  very  uncon- 
sciousness of  his  own  childish 
importance. 

"Jerry's  stories  int'rust  them 
very  much,"  he  said  to  his 
mamma.  "For  my  part  —  you 
must  excuse  me,  Dearest  — 
but  sometimes  I  should  have 
thought  they  could  n't  be  all 
quite  true,  if  they  had  n't  hap- 
pened to  Jerry  himself;  but 
as  they  all  happened  to  Jerry 
—  well,  it  's  very  strange,  you 
know,  and  perhaps  sometimes 
he  may  forget  and  be  a  little 
mistaken,  as  he  's  been  scalped  so  often.  Being  scalped  a  great 
many  times  might  make  a  person  forgetful." 


JERRY  NARRATES  SOME  OF  HIS  ADVENTURES. 


54  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

It  was  eleven  days  after  he  had  said  good-bye  to  his  friend  Dick 
before  he  reached  Liverpool ;  and  it  was  on  the  night  of  the  twelfth 
dav  that  the  carriage  in  which  he  and  his  mother  and  Mr.  Havisham 
had  driven  from  the  station  stopped  before  the  gates  of  Court  Lodge. 
They  could  not  see  mudi  of  the  house  in  the  darkness.  Cedric  only 
saw  that  there  was  a  drive-way  under  great  arching  trees,  and  after 
the  carriage  had  rolled  down  this  drive-way  a  short  distance,  he 
saw  an  open  door  and  a  stream  of  bright  light  coming  through  it. 

Mary  had  come  with  them  to  attend  her  mistress,  and  she  had 
reached  the  house  before  them.  When  Cedric  jumped  out  of  the 
carriage  he  saw  one  or  two  servants  standing  in  the  wide,  bright 
hall,  and  Mary  stood  in  the  door-way. 

Lord  Fauntleroy  sprang  at  her  with  a  gay  little  shout. 
"  Did  you  get  here,  Mary  ?  "  he  said.      "  Here  's  Mary,  Dearest," 
and  he  kissed  the  maid  on  her  rough  red  cheek. 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  here,  Mary,"  Mrs.  Errol  said  to  her  in  a  low 
voice.  "  It  is  such  a  comfort  to  me  to  see  you.  It  takes  the  strange- 
ness away."  And  she  held  out  her  little  hand,  which  Mary  squeezed 
encouragingly.  She  knew  how  this  first  "  strangeness  "  must  feel  to 
this  little  mother  who  had  left  her  own  land  and  was  about  to  give 
up  her  child. 

The  English  servants  looked  with  curiosity  at  both  the  boy  and 
his  mother.  They  had  heard  all  sorts  of  rumors  about  them  both ; 
they  knew  how  angry  the  old  Earl  had  been,  and  why  Mrs.  Errol 
was  to  live  at  the  lodge  and  her  little  boy  at  the  castle ;  they  knew 
all  about  the  great  fortune  he  was  to  inherit,  and  about  the  savage 
old  grandfather  and  his  gout  and  his  tempers. 

"  He  '11  have  no  easy  time  of  it,  poor  little  chap,"  they  had  said 
among  themselves. 

But  they  did  not  know  what  sort  of  a  little  lord  had  come 
among  them  ;  they  did  not  quite  understand  the  character  of  the 
next  Earl  of  Dorincourt. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  55 

He  pulled  off  his  overcoat  quite  as  if  he  were  used  to  doing 
things  for  himself,  and  began  to  look  about  him.  He  looked  about 
the  broad  hall,  at  the  pictures  and  stags'  antlers  and  curious  things 
that  ornamented  it.  They  seemed  curious  to  him  because  he  had 
never  seen  such  things  before  in  a  private  house. 

"  Dearest,"  he  said,  "  this  is  a  very  pretty  house,  is  n't  it  ?  I  am 
glad  you  are  going  to  live  here.      It's  quite  a  large  house." 

It  was  quite  a  large  house  compared  to  the  one  in  the  shabby 
New  York  street,  and  it  was  very  pretty  and  cheerful.  Mary  led 
them  upstairs  to  a  bright  chintz-hung  bedroom  where  a  fire  was 
burning,  and  a  large  snow-white  Persian  cat  was  sleeping  luxuriously 
on  the  white  fur  hearth-rug. 

"  It  was  the  house-kaper  up  at  the  Castle,  ma'am,  sint  her  to  yez," 
explained  Mary.  "  It 's  herself  is  a  kind-hearted  lady  an'  has  had 
iverything  done  to  prepar'  fur  yez.  I  seen  her  meself  a  few  minnits, 
an'  she  was  fond  av  the  Capt'in,  ma'am,  an'  graivs  fur  him  ;  and  she 
said  to  say  the  big  cat  slapin'  on  the  rug  moight  make  the  room 
same  homeloike  to  yez.  She  knowed  Capt'in  Errol  whin  he  was  a 
bye — an'  a  foine  handsum'  bye  she  ses  he  was,  an'  a  foine  young 
man  wid  a  plisint  word  fur  every  one,  great  an'  shmall.  An'  ses  I  to 
her,  ses  I :  '  He  's  lift  a  bye  that 's  loike  him,  ma'am,  fur  a  foiner 
little  felly  niver  sthipped  in  shoe-leather.' " 

When  they  were  ready,  they  went  downstairs  into  another  big 
bright  room ;  its  ceiling  was  low,  and  the  furniture  was  heavy  and 
beautifully  carved,  the  chairs  were  deep  and  had  high  massive  backs, 
and  there  were  queer  shelves  and  cabinets  with  strange,  pretty 
ornaments  on  them.  There  was  a  great  tiger-skin  before  the  fire, 
and  an  arm-chair  on  each  side  of  it.  The  stately  white  cat  had 
responded  to  Lord  Fauntleroy's  stroking  and  followed  him  down- 
stairs, and  when  he  threw  himself  down  upon  the  rug,  she  curled 
herself  up  grandly  beside  him  as  if  she  intended  to  make  friends. 
Cedric  was  so  pleased  that  he  put  his  head  down  by  hers,  and  lay 


56  LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

stroking    her,    not    noticing   what   his    mother    and    Mr.    Havisham 
were  saying. 

They  were,  indeed,  speaking  in  a  rather  low  tone.      Mrs.  Errol 
looked  a  little  pale  and  agitated. 

"He  need  not  go  to-night?"  she  said.  "He  will  stay  with 
me  to-night  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Havisham  in  the  same  low  tone  ;  "it  will 
not  be  necessary  for  him  to  go  to-night.  I  myself  will  go  to  the 
Castle  as  soon  as  we  have  dined,  and  inform  the  Earl  of  our 
arrival." 

Mrs.  Errol  glanced  down  at  Cedric.  He  was  lying  in  a  grace- 
ful, careless  attitude  upon  the  black-and-yellow  skin  ;  the  fire  shone 
on  his  handsome,  flushed  little  face,  and  on  the  tumbled,  curly  hair 
spread  out  on  the  rug  ;  the  big  cat  was  purring  in  drowsy  content, — 
she  liked  the  caressing  touch  of  the  kind  little  hand  on  her  fur. 
Mrs.  Errol  smiled  faintly. 

"  His  lordship  does  not  know  all  that  he  is  taking  from  me,"  she 
said  rather  sadly.  Then  she  looked  at  the  lawyer.  "  Will  you  tell 
him,  if  you  please,"  she  said,  "  that  I  should  rather  not  have  the 
money  ?  " 

"  The  money  !  "  Mr.  Havisham  exclaimed.  "  You  can  not  mean 
the  income  he  proposed  to  settle  upon  you  ! " 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  quite  simply ;  "  I  think  I  should  rather  not 
have  it.  I  am  obliged  to  accept  the  house,  and  I  thank  him  for  :t, 
because  it  makes  it  possible  for  me  to  be  near  my  child  ;  but  I  have 
a  little  money  of  my  own, —  enough  to  live  simply  upon, —  and  I 
should  rather  not  take  the  other.  As  he  dislikes  me  so  much,  I 
should  feel  a  little  as  if  I  were  selling  Cedric  to  him.  I  am  giving 
him  up  only  because  I  love  him  enough  to  forget  myself  for  his  good, 
and  because  his  father  would  wish  it  to  be  so." 
Mr.  Havisham  rubbed  his  chin. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  59 

"  This  is  very  strange,"  he  said.  "  He  will  be  very  angry.  He 
wont  understand  it." 

"  I  think  he  will  understand  it  after  he  thinks  it  over,"  she  said. 
"  I  do  not  really  need  the  money,  and  why  should  I  accept  luxuries 
from  the  man  who  hates  me  so  much  that  he  takes  my  little  boy 
from  me  —  his  son's  child  ?  " 

Mr.  Havisham  looked  reflective  for  a  few  moments. 

"  I  will  deliver,  your  message,"  he  said  afterward. 
And  then  the  dinner  was  brought  in  and  they  sat  down  together, 
the   big  cat   taking   a  seat    on  a  chair  near  Cedric's    and    purring 
majestically  throughout  the  meal. 

When,  later  in  the  evening,  Mr.  Havisham  presented  himself  at 
the  Castle,  he  was  taken  at  once  to  the  Earl.  He  found  him  sitting 
by  the  fire  in  a  luxurious  easy-chair,  his  foot  Dn  a  gout-stool.  He 
looked  at  the  lawyer  sharply  from  under  his  shaggy  eyebrows,  but 
Mr.  Havisham  could  see  that,  in  spite  of  his  pretense  at  calmness, 
he  was  nervous  and  secretly  excited. 

"Well,"  he  said;  "well,  Havisham,  come  back,  have  you? 
What  's  the  news  ?  " 

"  Lord  Fauntleroy  and  his  mother  are  at  Court  Lodge,"  replied 
Mr.  Havisham.  "They  bore  the  voyage  very  well  and  are  in  excel- 
lent health." 

The  Earl  made  a  half-impatient  sound  and  moved  his  hand 
restlessly. 

"  Glad  to  hear  it,"  he  said  brusquely.  "  So  far,  so  good.  Make 
yourself  comfortable.  Have  a  glass  of  wine  and  settle  down.  What 
else  ? " 

"  His  lordship  remains  with  his  mother  to-night.  To-morrow  I 
will  bring  him  to  the  Castle." 

The  Earl's  elbow  was  resting  on  the  arm  of  his  chair  ;  he  put 
his  hand  up  and  shielded  his  eyes  with  it. 


60  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

"  Well,"  he  said  ;  "  go  on.  You  know  I  told  you  not  to  write  to 
me  about  the  matter,  and  I  know  nothing  whatever  about  it.  What 
kind  of  a  lad  is  he  ?  I  don't  care  about  the  mother ;  what  sort  of  a 
lad  is  he  ?  " 

Mr.  Havisham  drank  a  little  of  the  glass  of  port  he  had  poured 
out  for  himself,  and  sat  holding  it  in  his  hand. 

"  It  is  rather  difficult  to  judge  of  the  character  of  a  child  of  seven," 
he  said  cautiously. 

The  Earl's  prejudices  were  very  intense.  He  looked  up  quickly 
and  uttered  a  rough  word. 

"A  fool,  is  he?"  he  exclaimed.  "Or  a  clumsy  cub?  His 
American  blood  tells,  does  it  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  think  it  has  injured  him,  my  lord,"  replied  the  lawyer 
in  his  dry,  deliberate  fashion.  "  I  don't  know  much  about  children, 
but  I  thought  him  rather  a  fine  lad." 

His  manner  of  speech  was  always  deliberate  and  unenthusiastic, 
but  he  made  it  a  trifle  more  so  than  usual.  He  had  a  shrewd  fancy 
that  it  would  be  better  that  the  Earl  should  judge  for  himself,  and 
be  quite  unprepared  for  his  first  interview  with  his  grandson. 

"  Healthy  and  well-grown  ?  "  asked  my  lord. 

"  Apparently  very  healthy,  and  quite  well-grown,"  replied  the 
lawyer. 

"  Straight-limbed  and  well  enough  to  look  at  ?  "  demanded  the  Earl. 
A  very  slight  smile  touched  Mr.  Havisham's  thin  lips.  There 
rose  up  before  his  mind's  eye  the  picture  he  had  left  at  Court  Lodge, — 
the  beautiful,  graceful  child's  body  lying  upon  the  tiger-skin  in  care- 
less comfort — the  bright,  tumbled  hair  spread  on  the  rug  —  the 
bright,  rosy  boy's  face. 

"  Rather  a  handsome  boy,  I  think,  my  lord,  as  boys  go,"  he  said, 
"though  I  am  scarcely  a  judge,  perhaps.  But  you  will  find  him 
somewhat  different  from  most  English  children,  I  dare  say." 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  6 1 

"  I  have  n't  a  doubt  of  that,"  snarled  the  Earl,  a  twinge  of  gout 
seizing  him.  "A  lot  of  impudent  little  beggars,  those  American 
children  ;  I  've  heard  that  often  enough." 

"  It  is  not  exactly  impudence  in  his  case,"  said  Mr.  Havisham. 
"  I  can  scarcely  describe  what  the  difference  is.  He  has  lived  more 
with  older  people  than  with  children,  and  the  difference  seems  to  be 
a  mixture  of  maturity  and  childishness." 

"  American  impudence  !  "  protested  the  Earl.  "  I  've  heard  of  it 
before.  They  call  it  precocity  and  freedom.  Beastly,  impudent  bad 
manners ;  that  's  what  it  is  !  " 

Mr.  Havisham  drank  some  more  port.  He  seldom  argued  with 
his  lordly  patron, —  never  when  his  lordly  patron's  noble  leg  was 
inflamed  by  gout.  At  such  times  it  was  always  better  to  leave  him 
alone.  So  there  was  a  silence  of  a  few  moments.  It  was  Mr.  Hav- 
isham who  broke  it. 

"  I  have  a  message  to  deliver  from  Mrs.  Errol,"  he  remarked. 

"  I  don't  want  any  of  her  messages  !  "  growled  his  lordship  ;  "the 
less  I  hear  of  her  the  better." 

"This  is  a  rather  important  one,"  explained  the  lawyer.      "She 
prefers  not  to  accept  the  income  you  proposed  to  settle  on  her." 
The  Earl  started  visibly. 

"  What 's  that  ?  "  he  cried  out.      "  What  's  that  ?  " 
Mr.  Havisham  repeated  his  words. 

"  She  says  it  is  not  necessary,  and  that  as  the  relations  between 
you  are  not  friendly " 

"  Not  friendly!"  ejaculated  my  lord  savagely;  "I  should  say  they 
were  not  friendly!  I  hate  to  think  of  her!  A  mercenary,  sharp- 
voiced  American  !     I  don't  wish  to  see  her." 

"  My  lord,"  said  Mr.  Havisham,  "you  can  scarcely  call  her  mer- 
cenary. She  has  asked  for  nothing.  She  does  not  accept  the 
money  you  offer  her." 


62  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

"  All  done  for  effect ! "  snapped  his  noble  lordship.  "  She 
wants  to  wheedle  me  into  seeing  her.  She  thinks  I  shall  admire 
her  spirit.  I  don't  admire  it !  It  's  only  American  independence ! 
I  wont  have  her  living  like  a  beggar  at  my  park  gates.  As 
she  's  the  boy's  mother/  she  has  a  position  to  keep  up,  and  she 
shall  keep  it  up.  She  shall  have  the  money,  whether  she  likes  it 
or  not ! " 

"  She  wont  spend  it,"  said  Mr.  Havisham. 

"  I  don't  care  whether  she  spends  it  or  not !"  blustered  my  lord. 
"  She  shall  have  it  sent  to  her.  She  sha'n't  tell  people  that  she  has 
to  live  like  a  pauper  because  I  have  done  nothing  for  her !  She 
wants  to  give  the  boy  a  bad  opinion  of  me !  I  suppose  she  has 
poisoned  his  mind  against  me  already !  " 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Havisham.  "  I  have  another  message,  which 
will  prove  to  you  that  she  has  not  done  that." 

"  I  don't  want  to  hear  it !  "  panted  the  Earl,  out  of  breath  with 
anger  and  excitement  and  gout. 

But  Mr.  Havisham  delivered  it. 

"  She  asks  you  not  to  let  Lord  Fauntleroy  hear  anything  which 
would  lead  him  to  understand  that  you  separate  him  from  her  be- 
cause of  your  prejudice  against  her.  He  is  very  fond  of  her,  and 
she  is  convinced  that  it  would  cause  a  barrier  to  exist  between  you. 
She  says  he  would  not  comprehend  it,  and  it  might  make  him  fear 
you  in  some  measure,  or  at  least  cause  him  to  feel  less  affection  for 
you.  She  has  told  him  that  he  is  too  young  to  understand  the  rea- 
son, but  shall  hear  it  when  he  is  older.  She  wishes  that  there  should 
be  no  shadow  on  your  first  meeting." 

The  Earl  sank  back  into  his  chair.     His  deep-set  fierce  old  eyes 
gleamed  under  his  beetling  brows. 

"  Come,  now  ! "  he  said,  still  breathlessly.  "  Come,  now  !  You 
don't  mean  the  mother  has  n't  told  him  ?  " 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  63 

"Not  one  word,  my  lord,"  replied  the  lawyer  coolly.  "That  I 
can  assure  you.  The  child  is  prepared  to  believe  you  the  most 
amiable  and  affectionate  of  grandparents.  Nothing — absolutely 
nothing  has  been  said  to  him  to  give  him  the  slightest  doubt  of  your 
perfection.  And  as  I  carried  out  your  commands  in  every  detail, 
while  in  New  York,  he  certainly  regards  you  as  a  wonder  of 
generosity." 

"  He  does,  eh  ? "  said  the  Earl. 

"  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor,"  said  Mr.  Havisham,  "that  Lord 
Fauntleroy's  impressions  of  you  will  depend  entirely  upon  yourself. 
And  if  you  will  pardon  the  liberty  I  take  in  making  the  suggestion, 
I  think  you  will  succeed  better  with  him  if  you  take  the  precaution 
not  to  speak  slightingly  of  his  mother." 

"Pooh,  pooh!"  said  the  Earl.  "The  youngster  is  only  seven 
years  old  ! " 

"  He  has  spent  those  seven  years  at  his  mother's  side,"  returned 
Mr.  Havisham;    "and  she  has  all  his  affection." 


v 

IT  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  carriage  containing  little 
Lord  Fauntleroy  and  Mr.  Havisham  drove  up  the  long  avenue 
which  led  to  the  castle.  The  Earl  had  given  orders  that  his 
grandson  should  arrive  in  time  to  dine  with  him  ;  and  for  some  reason 
best  known  to  himself,  he  had  also  ordered  that  the  child  should  be 
sent  alone  into  the  room  in  which  he  intended  to  receive  him.  As 
the  carriage  rolled  up  the  avenue,  Lord  Fauntleroy  sat  leaning  com- 
fortably against  the  luxurious  cushions,  and  regarded  the  prospect 
with  great  interest.  He  was,  in  fact,  interested  in  everything  he 
saw.  He  had  been  interested  in  the  carriage,  with  its  large,  splendid 
horses  and  their  glittering  harness ;  he  had  been  interested  in  the 
tall  coachman  and  footman,  with  their  resplendent  livery ;  and  he 
had  been  especially  interested  in  the  coronet  on  the  panels,  and  had 
struck  up  an  acquaintance  with  the  footman  for  the  purpose  of 
inquiring  what  it  meant. 

When  the  carriage  reached  the  great  gates  of  the  park,  he 
looked  out  of  the  window  to  get  a  good  view  of  the  huge  stone  lions 
ornamenting  the  entrance.  The  gates  were  opened  by  a  motherly, 
rosy-looking  woman,  who  came  out  of  a  pretty,  ivy-covered  lodge. 
Two  children  ran  out  of  the  door  of  the  house  and  stood  looking 
with  round,  wide-open  eyes  at  the  little  boy  in  the  carriage,  who 
looked  at  them  also.  Their  mother  stood  courtesying  and  smiling, 
and  the  children,  on  receiving  a  sign  from  her,  made  bobbing  little 
courtesies  too. 

64 


THE   GATES   WERE   OPENED    BY   A   WOMAN   AND   TWO   CHILDREN   WHO   CAME   OUT 
OF   A   PRETTY   IVY-COVERED   LODGE." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  67 

"Does  she  know  me?"  asked  Lord  Fauntleroy.  "I  think  she 
must  think  she  knows  me."  And  he  took  off  his  black  velvet  cap  to 
her  and  smiled. 

"  How  do  you  do  ?  "  he  said  brightly.      "  Good-afternoon  !  " 

The  woman  seemed  pleased,  he  thought.  The  smile  broadened 
on  her  rosy  face  and  a  kind  look  came  into  her  blue  eyes. 

"  God  bless  your  lordship  !  "  she  said.  "  God  bless  your  pretty 
face  !   Good  luck  and  happiness  to  your  lordship  !   Welcome  to  you  !  " 

Lord  Fauntleroy  waved  his  cap  and  nodded  to  her  again  as  the 
carriage  rolled  by  her. 

"  I  like  that  woman,"  he  said.  "  She  looks  as  if  she  liked  boys. 
I  should  like  to  come  here  and  play  with  her  children.  I  wonder  if 
she  has  enough  to  make  up  a  company  ?  " 

Mr.  Havisham  did  not  tell  him  that  he  would  scarcely  be  allowed 
to  make  playmates  of  the  gate-keeper's  children.  The  lawyer  thought 
there  was  time  enough  for  giving  him  that  information. 

The  carriage  rolled  on  and  on  between  the  great,  beautiful 
trees  which  grew  on  each  side  of  the  avenue  and  stretched  their 
broad,  swaying  branches  in  an  arch  across  it.  Cedric  had  never 
seen  such  trees, — they  were  so  grand  and  stately,  and  their  branches 
grew  so  low  down  on  their  huge  trunks.  He  did  not  then  know 
that  Dorincourt  Castle  was  one.  of  the  most  beautiful  in  all  England; 
that  its  park  was  one  of  the  broadest  and  finest,  and  its  trees  and 
avenue  almost  without  rivals.  But  he  did  know  that  it  was  all  very 
beautiful.  He  liked  the  big,  broad-branched  trees,  with  the  late 
afternoon  sunlight  striking  golden  lances  through  them.  He  liked 
the  perfect  stillness  which  rested  on  everything.  He  felt  a  great, 
strange  pleasure  in  the  beauty  of  which  he  caught  glimpses  under 
and  between  the  sweeping  boughs  —  the  great,  beautiful  spaces  of 
the  park,  with  still  other  trees  standing  sometimes  stately  and  alone, 
and  sometimes  in  groups.      Now  and  then  they  passed  places  where 


68  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

tall  ferns  grew  in  masses,  and  again  and  again  the  ground  was  azure 
with  the  bluebells  swaying  in  the  soft  breeze.  Several  times  he 
started  up  with  a  laugh  of  delight  as  a  rabbit  leaped  up  from  under 
the  greenery  and  scudded  away  with  a  twinkle  of  short  white  tail 
behind  it.  Once  a  covey  of  partridges  rose  with  a  sudden  whir  and 
flew  away,  and  then  he  shouted  and  clapped  his  hands. 

"  It  's  a  beautiful  place,  is  n't  it?"  he  said  to  Mr.  Havisham.  "  I 
never  saw  such  a  beautiful  place.  It  's  prettier  even  than  Central 
Park." 

He  was  rather  puzzled  by  the  length  of  time  they  were  on  their 
way. 

"  How  far  is  it,"  he  said,  at  length,  "  from  the  gate  to  the  front 
door  ?  " 

"  It  is  between  three  and  four  miles,"  answered  the  lawyer. 

"  That  's  a  long  way  for  a  person  to  live  from  his  gate,"  remarked 
his  lordship. 

Every  few  minutes  he  saw  something  new  to  wonder  at  and 
admire.  When  he  caught  sight  of  the  deer,  some  couched  in  the 
grass,  some  standing  with  their  pretty  antlered  heads  turned  with  a 
half-startled  air  toward  the  avenue  as  the  carriage  wheels  disturbed 
them,  he  was  enchanted. 

"Has  there  been  a  circus?"  he  cried;  "or  do  they  live  here 
always  ?     Whose  are  they  ?  " 

"  They  live  here,"  Mr.  Havisham  told  him.  "  They  belong  to 
the  Earl,  your  grandfather." 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  they  saw  the  castle.  It  rose  up 
before  them  stately  and  beautiful  and  gray,  the  last  rays  of  the  sun 
casting  dazzling  lights  on  its  many  windows.  It  had  turrets  and 
battlements  and  towers ;  a  great  deal  of  ivy  grew  upon  its  walls  ;  all 
the  broad,  open  space  about  it  was  laid  out  in  terraces  and  lawns  and 
beds  of  brilliant  flowers. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  69 

"  It 's  the  most  beautiful  place  I  ever  saw !"  said  Cedric,  his  round 
face  flushing  with  pleasure.  "  It  reminds  any  one  of  a  king's  palace. 
I  saw  a  picture  of  one  once  in  a  fairy-book." 

He  saw  the  great  entrance-door  thrown  open  and  many  servants 
standing  in  two  lines  looking  at  him.  He  wondered  why  they  were 
standing  there,  and  admired  their  liveries  very  much.  He  did  not 
know  that  they  were  there  to  do  honor  to  the  little  boy  to  whom  all 
this  splendor  would  one  day  belong, —  the  beautiful  castle  like  the 
fairy  king's  palace,  the  magnificent  park,  the  grand  old  trees,  the 
dells  full  of  ferns  and  bluebells  where  the  hares  and  rabbits  played, 
the  dappled,  large-eyed  deer  couching  in  the  deep  grass.  It  was 
only  a  couple  of  weeks  since  he  had  sat  with  Mr.  Hobbs  among  the 
potatoes  and  canned  peaches,  with  his  legs  dangling  from  the  high 
stool ;  it  would  not  have  been  possible  for  him  to  realize  that  he  had 
very  much  to  do  with  all  this  grandeur.  At  the  head  of  the  line  of 
servants  there  stood  an  elderly  woman  in  a  rich,  plain  black  silk 
gown  ;  she  had  gray  hair  and  wore  a  cap.  As  he  entered  the  hall 
she  stood  nearer  than  the  rest,  and  the  child  thought  from  the  look 
in  her  eyes  that  she  was  going  to  speak  to  him.  Mr.  Havisham,  who 
held  his  hand,  paused  a  moment. 

"This  is  Lord  Fauntleroy,  Mrs.  Mellon,"  he  said.    "Lord  Faunt- 
leroy,  this  is  Mrs.  Mellon,  who  is  the  housekeeper." 
Cedric  gave  her  his  hand,  his  eyes  lighting  up. 

"  Was  it  you  who  sent  the  cat  ?  "  he  said.  "  I  'm  much  obliged  to 
you,  ma'am." 

Mrs.  Mellon's  handsome  old  face  looked  as  pleased  as  the  face 
of  the  lodge-keeper's  wife  had  done. 

"  I  should  know  his  lordship  anywhere,"  she  said  to  Mr.  Havisham. 
"  He  has  the  Captain's  face  and  way.      It  's  a  great  day,  this,  sir." 

Cedric  wondered  why  it  was  a  great  day.  He  looked  at  Mrs. 
Mellon  curiouslv.      It  seemed  to  him  for  a  moment  as  if  there  were 


JO  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

tears  in  her  eyes,  and  yet  it  was  evident  she  was  not  unhappy.     She 
smiled  down  on  him. 

"The  cat  left  two  beautiful  kittens  here,"  she  said;  "  they  shall  be 
sent  up  to  your  lordship's  nursery." 

Mr.  Havisham  said  a  few  words  to  her  in  a  low  voice. 

"  In  the  library,  sir,"  Mrs.  Mellon  replied.     "  His  lordship  is  to  be 
taken  there  alone." 

A  few  minutes  later,  the  very  tall  footman  in  livery,  who  had 
escorted  Cedric  to  the  library  door,  opened  it  and  announced:  "Lord 
Fauntleroy,  my  lord,"  in  quite  a  majestic  tone.  If  he  was  only  a 
footman,  he  felt  it  was  rather  a  grand  occasion  when  the  heir  came 
home  to  his  own  land  and  possessions,  and  was  ushered  into  the 
presence  of  the  old  Earl,  whose  place  and  title  he  was  to  take. 

Cedric  crossed  the  threshold  into  the  room.  It  was  a  very  large 
and  splendid  room,  with  massive  carven  furniture  in  it,  and  shelves 
upon  shelves  of  books ;  the  furniture  was  so  dark,  and  the  draperies 
so  heavy,  the  diamond-paned  windows  were  so  deep,  and  it  seemed 
such  a  distance  from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other,  that,  since  the  sun 
had  gone  down,  the  effect  of  it  all  was  rather  gloomy.  For  a  moment 
Cedric  thought  there  was  nobody  in  the  room,  but  soon  he  saw  that 
by  the  fire  burning  on  the  wide  hearth  there  was  a  large  easy-chair 
and  that  in  that  chair  some  one  was  sitting  —  some  one  who  did  not 
at  first  turn  to  look  at  him. 

But  he  had  attracted  attention  in  one  quarter  at  least.  On  the 
floor,  by  the  arm-chair,  lay  a  dog,  a  huge  tawny  mastiff,  with  body 
and  limbs  almost  as  big  as  a  lion's ;  and  this  great  creature  rose 
majestically  and  slowly,  and  marched  toward  the  little  fellow  with  a 
heavy  step. 

Then  the  person  in  the  chair  spoke.  "  Dougal,"  he  called. 
"  come  back,  sir." 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  71 

But  there  was  no  more  fear  in  little  Lord  Fauntleroy's  heart 
than  there  was  unkindness  —  he  had  been  a  brave  little  fellow  all  his 
life.  He  put  his  hand  on  the  big  dog's  collar  in  the  most  natural 
way  in  the  world,  and  they  strayed  forward  together,  Dougal  sniffing 
as  he  went. 

And  then  the  Earl  looked  up.  What  Cedric  saw  was  a  large 
old  man  with  shaggy  white  hair  and  eyebrows,  and  a  nose  like  an 
eagle's  beak  between  his  deep,  fierce  eyes.  What  the  Earl  saw  was 
a  graceful,  childish  figure  in  a  black  velvet  suit,  with  a  lace  collar, 
and  with  love-locks  waving  about  the  handsome,  manly  little  face, 
whose  eyes  met  his  with  a  look  of  innocent  good-fellowship.  If  the 
Castle  was  like  the  palace  in  a  fairy  story,  it  must  be  owned  that  little 
Lord  Fauntleroy  was  himself  rather  like  a  small  copy  of  the  fairy 
prince,  though  he  was  not  at  all  aware  of  the  fact,  and  perhaps  was 
rather  a  sturdy  young  model  of  a  fairy.  But  there  was  a  sudden 
glow  of  triumph  and  exultation  in  the  fiery  old  Earl's  heart  as  he 
saw  what  a  strong,  beautiful  boy  this  grandson  was,  and  how  unhesi- 
tatingly he  looked  up  as  he  stood  with  his  hand  on  the  big  dog's 
neck.  It  pleased  the  grim  old  nobleman  that  the  child  should  show 
no  shyness  or  fear,  either  of  the  dog  or  of  himself. 

Cedric  looked  at  him  just  as  he  had  looked  at  the  woman  at  the 
lodge  and  at  the  housekeeper,  and  came  quite  close  to  him. 

"Are  you  the  Earl?"  he  said.      "I  'm  your  grandson,  you  know, 
that  Mr.  Havisham  brought.      I  'm  Lord  Fauntleroy." 

He  held  out  his  hand  because  he  thought  it  must  be  the  polite  and 
proper  thing  to  do  even  with  earls.  "  I  hope  you  are  very  well,"  he 
continued,  with  the  utmost  friendliness.     "  I  'm  very  glad  to  see  you." 

The  Earl  shook  hands  with  him,  with  a.  curious  gleam  in  his 
eyes ;  just  at  first,  he  was  so  astonished  that  he  scarcely  knew  what 
to  say.  He  stared  at  the  picturesque  little  apparition  from  under  his 
shaggy  brows,  and  took  it  all  in  from  head  to  foot. 


72  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

"  Glad  to  see  me,  are  you  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Lord  Fauntleroy,  "very." 
There  was  a  chair  near  him,  and  he  sat  down  on  it ;  it  was  a 
high-backed,  rather  tall  chair,  and  his  feet  did  not  touch  the  floor 
when  he  had  settled  himself  in  it,  but  he  seemed  to  be  quite  com- 
fortable as  he  sat  there,  and  regarded  his  august  relative  intently 
but  modestly. 

"  I  Ve  kept  wondering  what  you  would  look  like,"  he  remarked. 
"  I  used  to  lie  in  my  berth  in  the  ship  and  wonder  if  you  would  be 
anything  like  my  father." 

"  Am  I  ? "  asked  the  Earl. 

"  Well,"  Cedric  replied,  "  I  was  very  young  when  he  died,  and  I 
may  not  remember  exactly  how  he  looked,  but  I  don't  think  you  are 
like  him." 

"  You  are  disappointed,  I  suppose  ?  "  suggested  his  grandfather. 

"  Oh,  no,"  responded  Cedric  politely.  "  Of  course  you  would 
like  any  one  to  look  like  your  father ;  but  of  course  you  would  enjoy 
the  way  your  grandfather  looked,  even  if  he  was  n't  like  your  father. 
You  know  how  it  is  yourself  about  admiring  your  relations." 

The  Earl  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  stared.  He  could  not 
be  said  to  know  how  it  was  about  admiring  his  relations.  He  had 
employed  most  of  his  noble  leisure  in  quarreling  violently  with  them, 
in  turning  them  out  of  his  house,  and  applying  abusive  epithets  to 
them  ;  and  they  all  hated  him  cordially. 

"  Any  boy  would  love  his  grandfather,"  continued  Lord  Fauntle- 
roy, "especially  one  that  had  been  as  kind  to  him  as  you  have  been." 
Another  queer  gleam  came  into  the  old  nobleman's  eyes. 

"  Oh  !  "  he  said,  "  I  have  been  kind  to  you,  have  I  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Lord  Fauntleroy  brightly  ;  "  I  'm  ever  so  much 
obliged  to  you  about  Bridget,  and  the  apple-woman,  and  Dick." 

"  Bridget !  "  exclaimed  the  Earl.      "  Dick  !  The  apple-woman  !  " 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  73 

"  Yes  !"  explained  Cedric;  "the  ones  you  gave  me  all  that  money 
for  —  the  money  you  told  Mr.  Havisham  to  give  me  if  I  wanted  it." 

"  Ha!  "  ejaculated  his  lordship.  "  That  's  it,  is  it?  The  money 
you  were  to  spend  as  you  liked.  What  did  you  buy  with  it  ?  I 
should  like  to  hear  something  about  that." 

He  drew  his  shaggy  eyebrows  together  and  looked  at  the  child 
sharply.  He  was  secretly  curious  to  know  in  what  way  the  lad  had 
indulged  himself. 

"  Oh  !"  said  Lord  Fauntleroy,  "perhaps  you  did  n't  know  about 
Dick  and  the  apple-woman  and  Bridget.  I  forgot  you  lived  such  a 
long  way  off  from  them.  They  were  particular  friends  of  mine. 
And  you  see  Michael  had  the  fever " 

"  Who  's  Michael?  "  asked  the  Earl. 

"  Michael  is  Bridget's  husband,  and  they  were  in  great  trouble. 
When  a  man  is  sick  and  can't  work  and  has  twelve  children,  you 
know  how  it  is.  And  Michael  has  always  been  a  sober  man.  And 
Bridget  used  to  come  to  our  house  and  cry.  And  the  evening  Mr. 
Havisham  was  there,  she  was  in  the  kitchen  crying,  because  they 
had  almost  nothing  to  eat  and  could  n't  pay  the  rent ;  and  I  went  in 
to  see  her,  and  Mr.  Havisham  sent  for  me  and  he  said  you  had  given 
him  some  money  for  me.  And  I  ran  as  fast  as  I  could  into  the 
kitchen  and  gave  it  to  Bridget ;  and  that  made  it  all  right ;  and 
Bridget  could  scarcely  believe  her  eyes.  That  's  why  I  'm  so 
obliged  to  you." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  Earl  in  his  deep  voice,  "  that  was  one  of  the  things 
you  did  for  yourself,  was  it  ?     What  else  ?  " 

Dougal  had  been  sitting  by  the  tall  chair ;  the  great  dog  had 
taken  its  place  there  when  Cedric  sat  down.  Several  times  it  had 
turned  and  looked  up  at  the  boy  as  if  interested  in  the  conversation. 
Dougal  was  a  solemn  dog,  who  seemed  to  feel  altogether  too  big  to 
take  life's  responsibilities  lightly.     The  old  Earl,  who  knew  the  dog 


74  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

well,  had  watched  it  with  secret  interest.  Dougal  was  not  a  dog 
whose  habit  it  was  to  make  acquaintances  rashly,  and  the  Earl  won- 
dered somewhat  to  see  how  quietly  the  brute  sat  under  the  touch  of 
the  childish  hand.  And,  just  at  this  moment,  the  big  dog  gave  little 
Lord  Fauntleroy  one  more  look  of  dignified  scrutiny,  and  deliberately 
laid  its  huge,  lion-like  head  on  the  boy's  black-velvet  knee. 

The  small  hand  went  on  stroking  this  new  friend  as  Cedric 
answered : 

"  Well,  there  was  Dick,"  he  said.  "  You  'd  like  Dick,  he  's  so 
square." 

This  was  an  Americanism  the  Earl  was  not  prepared  for. 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  "  he  inquired. 
Lord  Fauntleroy  paused  a  moment  to  reflect.      He  was  not  very 
sure  himself  what  it  meant.      He  had  taken  it  for  granted  as  meaning 
something  very  creditable  because  Dick  had  been  fond  of  using  it. 

"  I  think  it  means  that  he  would  n't  cheat  any  one,"  he  exclaimed; 
"  or  hit  a  boy  who  was  under  his  size,  and  that  he  blacks  people's 
boots  very  well  and  makes  them  shine  as  much  as  he  can.  He  's  a 
perfessional  bootblack." 

"  And  he's  one  of  your  acquaintances,  is  he  ?  "  said  the  Earl. 

"  He  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,"  replied  his  grandson.  "Not  quite 
as  old  as  Mr.  Hobbs,  but  quite  old.  He  gave  me  a  present  just 
before  the  ship  sailed." 

He  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  drew  forth  a  neatly  folded 
red  object  and  opened  it  with  an  air  of  affectionate  pride.  It  was 
the  red  silk  handkerchief  with  the  large  purple  horse-shoes  and 
heads  on  it. 

"He  gave  me  this,"  said  his  young  lordship.  "I  shall  keep  it 
always.  You  can  wear  it  round  your  neck  or  keep  it  in  your  pocket. 
He  bought  it  with  the  first  money  he  earned  after  I  bought  Jake  out 
and  gave  him   the  new    brushes.      It   's   a  keepsake.      I    put  some 


LITTLE   LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  75 

poetry  in  Mr.  Hobbs's  watch.   It  was,  'When  this  you  see,  remember 
me.'     When  this  I  see,  I  shall  always  remember  Dick." 

The  sensations  of  the  Right  Honorable  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt 
could  scarcely  be  described.  He  was  not  an  old  nobleman  who  was 
very  easily  bewildered,  because  he  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  the 
world;  but  here  was  something  he  found  so  novel  that  it  almost  took 
his  lordly  breath  away,  and  caused  him  some  singular  emotions. 
He  had  never  cared  for  children;  he  had  been  so  occupied  with  his 
own  pleasures  that  he  had  never  had  time  to  care  for  them.  His 
own  sons  had  not  interested  him  when  they  were  very  young — 
though  sometimes  he  remembered  having  thought  Cedric's  father  a 
handsome  and  strong  little  fellow.  He  had  been  so  selfish  himself 
that  he  had  missed  the  pleasure  of  seeing  unselfishness  in  others,  and 
he  had  not  known  how  tender  and  faithful  and  affectionate  a  kind- 
hearted  little  child  can  be,  and  how  innocent  and  unconscious  are  its 
simple,  generous  impulses.  A  boy  had  always  seemed  to  him  a 
most  objectionable  little  animal,  selfish  and  greedy  and  boisterous 
when  not  under  strict  restraint ;  his  own  two  eldest  sons  had  given 
their  tutors  constant  trouble  and  annoyance,  and  of  the  younger  one 
he  fancied  he  had  heard  few  complaints  because  the  boy  was  of  no 
particular  importance.  It  had  never  once  occurred  to  him  that  he 
should  like  his  grandson ;  he  had  sent  for  the  little  Cedric  because 
his  pride  impelled  him  to  do  so.  If  the  boy  was  to  take  his  place 
in  the  future,  he  did  not  wish  his  name  to  be  made  ridiculous  by 
descending  to  an  uneducated  boor.  He  had  been  convinced  the  boy 
would  be  a  clownish  fellow  if  he  were  brought  up  in  America.  He 
had  no  feeling  of  affection  for  the  lad  ;  his  only  hope  was  that  he 
should  find  him  decently  well-featured,  and  with  a  respectable  share 
of  sense ;  he  had  been  so  disappointed  in  his  other  sons,  and  had 
been  made  so  furious  by  Captain  Errol's  American  marriage,  that  he 
had  never  once  thought  that  anything  creditable  could  come  of  it 


76  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

When  the  footman  had  announced  Lord  Fauntleroy,  he  had  almost 
dreaded  to  look  at  the  boy  lest  he  should  find  him  all  that  he  had 
feared.  It  was  because  of  this  feeling  that  he  had  ordered  that  the 
child  should  be  sent  to  him  alone.  His  pride  could  not  endure  that 
others  should  see  his  disappointment  if  he  was  to  be  disappointed. 
His  proud,  stubborn  old  heart  therefore  had  leaped  within  him  when 
the  boy  came  forward  with  his  graceful,  easy  carriage,  his  fearless 
hand  on  the  big  dog's  neck.  Even  in  the  moments  when  he  had 
hoped  the  most,  the  Earl  had  never  hoped  that  his  grandson  would 
look  like  that.  It  seemed  almost  too  good  to  be  true  that  this  should 
be  the  boy  he  had  dreaded  to  see — the  child  of  the  woman  he  so 
disliked — this  little  fellow  with  so  much  beauty  and  such  a  brave, 
childish  grace !  The  Earl's  stern  composure  was  quite  shaken  by 
this  startling  surprise. 

And  then  their  talk  began  ;  and  he  was  still  more  curiously 
moved,  and  more  and  more  puzzled.  In  the  first  place,  he  was  so 
used  to  seeing  people  rather  afraid  and  embarrassed  before  him,  that 
he  had  expected  nothing  else  but  that  his  grandson  would  be  timid 
or  shy.  But  Cedric  was  no  more  afraid  of  the  Earl  than  he  had  been 
of  Dougal.  He  was  not  bold  ;  he  was  only  innocently  friendly,  and 
he  was  not  conscious  that  there  could  be  any  reason  why  he  should 
be  awkward  or  afraid.  The  Earl  could  not  help  seeing  that  the 
little  boy  took  him  for  a  friend  and  treated  him  as  one,  without  hav- 
ing any  doubt  of  him  at  all.  It  was  quite  plain  as  the  little  fellow 
sat  there  in  his  tall  chair  and  talked  in  his  friendly  way  that  it  had 
never  occurred  to  him  that  this  large,  fierce-looking  old  man  could 
be  anything  but  kind  to  him,  and  rather  pleased  to  see  him  there. 
And  it  was  plain,  too,  that,  in  his  childish  way,  he  wished  to  please 
and  interest  his  grandfather.  Cross,  and  hard-hearted,  and  worldly 
as  the  old  Earl  was,  he  could  not  help  feeling  a  secret  and  novel 
pleasure  in   this  very  confidence.      After   all,  it  was  not  disagree- 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  /7 

able  to  meet  some  one  who  did  not  distrust  him  or  shrink  from  him, 
or  seem  to  detect  the  ugly  part  of  his  nature  ;  some  one  who  looked 
at  him  with  clear,  unsuspecting  eyes, —  if  it  was  only  a  little  boy  in 
a  black  velvet  suit. 

So  the  old  man  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  and  led  his  young  com- 
panion on  to  telling  him  still  more  of  himself,  and  with  that  odd 
gleam  in  his  eyes  watched  the  little  fellow  as  he  talked.  Lord 
Fauntleroy  was  quite  willing  to  answer  all  his  questions  and  chatted 
on  in  his  genial  little  way  quite  composedly.  He  told  him  all  about 
Dick  and  Jake,  and  the  apple-woman,  and  Mr.  Hobbs;  he  described 
the  Republican  Rally  in  all  the  glory  of  its  banners  and  transpar- 
encies, torches  and  rockets.  In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  he 
reached  the  Fourth  of  July  and  the  Revolution,  and  was  just  becom- 
ing enthusiastic,  when  he  suddenly  recollected  something  and  stopped 
very  abruptly. 

"  What  is  the  matter?"  demanded  his  grandfather.  "Why  don't 
you  go  on  ?  " 

Lord  Fauntleroy  moved  rather  uneasily  in  his  chair.  It  was 
evident  to  the  Earl  that  he  was  embarrassed  by  the  thought  which 
had  just  occurred  to  him. 

"  I  was  just  thinking  that  perhaps  you  might  n't  like  it,"  he 
replied.  "  Perhaps  some  one  belonging  to  you  might  have  been 
there.      I  forgot  you  were  an  Englishman." 

"  You  can  go  on,"  said  my  lord.  "  No  one  belonging  to  me  was 
*"here.     You  forgot  you  were  an  Englishman,  too." 

"  Oh  !  no,"  said  Cedric  quickly.      "  I  'm  an  American  !" 

"  You  are  an  Englishman,"  said  the  Earl  grimly.  "  Your  father 
was  an  Englishman." 

It  amused  him  a  little  to  say  this,  but  it  did  not  amuse  Cedric. 
The  lad  had  never  thought  of  such  a  development  as  this.  He  felt 
himself  grow  quite  hot  up  to  the  roots  of  his  hair. 


78  LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


"I  was  born  in  America,"  he  protested.  "You  have  to  be  an 
American  if  you  are  born  in  America.  I  beg  your  pardon,"  with 
serious  politeness  and  delicacy,  "  for  contradicting  you.  Mr.  Hobbs 
told  me,  if  there  were  another  war,  you  know,  I  should  have  to — to 
be  an  American." 

The  Earl  gave  a  grim  half  laugh  —  it  was  short  and  grim,  but 
it  was  a  laugh. 

"  You  would,  would  you  ?  "  he  said. 

He  hated  America  and  Americans,  but  it  amused  him  to  see 
how  serious  and  interested  this  small  patriot  was.  He  thought  that 
so  good  an  American  might  make  a  rather  good  Englishman  when 
he  was  a  man. 

They  had  not  time  to  go  very  deep  into  the  Revolution 
again  —  and  indeed  Lord  Fauntleroy  felt  some  delicacy  about 
returning  to  the  subject  —  before  dinner  was  announced. 

Cedric  left  his  chair  and  went  to  his  noble  kinsman.  He  looked 
down  at  his  gouty  foot. 

"Would  you  like  me  to  help  you?"  he  said  politely.  "You  could 
lean  on  me,  you  know.  Once  when  Mr.  Hobbs  hurt  his  foot  with  a 
potato-barrel  rolling  on  it,  he  used  to  lean  on  me." 

The  big  footman  almost  periled  his  reputation  and  his  situation 
by  smiling.  He  was  an  aristocratic  footman  who  had  always  lived 
in  the  best  of  noble  families,  and  he  had  never  smiled  ;  indeed,  he 
would  have  felt  himself  a  disgraced  and  vulgar  footman  if  he  had 
allowed  himself  to  be  led  by  any  circumstance  whatever  into  such  an 
indiscretion  as  a  smile.  But  he  had  a  very  narrow  escape.  He  only 
just  saved  himself  by  staring  straight  over  the  Earl's  head  at  a  very 
ugly  picture. 

The  Earl  looked  his  valiant  young  relative  over  from  head 
to  foot. 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  do  it  ?  "  he  asked  gruffly. 


^ 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  79 

"  I  think  I  could,"  said  Cedric.  "  I  'm  strong.  I  'm  seven,  you  know. 
You  could  lean  on  your  stick  on  one  side,  and  on  me  on  the  other. 
Dick  says  I  've  a  good  deal  of  muscle  for  a  boy  that  's  only  seven." 

He  shut  his  hand  and  moved  it  upward  to  his  shoulder,  so  that 
the  Earl  might  see  the  muscle  Dick  had  kindly  approved  of,  and  his 
face  was  so  grave  and  earnest  that  the  footman  found  it  necessary  to 
look  very  hard  indeed  at  the  ugly  picture. 
"Well,"  said  the  Earl,  "you  may  try." 

Cedric  gave  him  his  stick  and  began  to  assist  him  to  rise. 
Usually,  the  footman  did  this,  and  was  violently  sworn  at  when  his 
lordship  had  an  extra  twinge  of  gout.  The  Earl  was  not  a  very 
polite  person  as  a  rule,  and  many  a  time  the  huge  footmen  about 
him  quaked  inside  their  imposing  liveries. 

But  this  evening  he  did  not  swear,  though  his  gouty  foot  gave 
him  more  twinges  than  one.  He  chose  to  try  an  experiment.  He 
got  up  slowly  and  put  his  hand  on  the  small  shoulder  presented  to 
him  with  so  much  courage.  Little  Lord  Fauntleroy  made  a  careful 
step  forward,  looking  down  at  the  gouty  foot. 

"Just  lean  on  me,"  he  said,  with  encouraging  good  cheer.  "I  '11 
walk  very  slowly." 

If  the  Earl  had  been  supported  by  the  footman  he  would  have 
rested  less  on  his  stick  and  more  on  his  assistant's  arm.  And  yet  it 
was  part  of  his  experiment  to  let  his  grandson  feel  his  burden  as  no 
light  weight.  It  was  quite  a  heavy  weight  indeed,  and  after  a  few 
steps  his  young  lordship's  face  grew,  quite  hot,  and  his  heart  beat 
rather  fast,  but  he  braced  himself  sturdily,  remembering  his  muscle 
and  Dick's  approval  of  it. 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  leaning  on  me,"  he  panted.  "  I  'm  all 
right  —  if — if  it  is  n't  a  very  long  way." 

It  was  not  really  very  far  to  the  dining-room,  but  it  seemed 
rather  a  long  way  to  Cedric,  before  they  reached  the  chair  at  the 


8o 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


head   of    the   table.      The   hand   on   his    shoulder  seemed    to   grow 
heavier  at  every  step,  and  his  face  grew  redder  and  hotter,  and  his 

breath  shorter,  but 
he  never  thought  of 
giving  up ;  he  stiff- 
ened his  childish 
muscles,  held  his 
head  erect,  and  en- 
couraged the  Earl  as 
he  limped  along. 

"  Does  your  foot 
hurt  you  very  much 
when  you  stand  on 
it?"  he  asked.  "Did 
you  ever  put  it  in  hot 
water  and  mustard  ? 
Mr.  Hobbs  used  to 
put  his  in  hot  water. 
Arnica  is  a  very  nice 
thing,  they  tell  me." 
The  big  dog 
stalked  slowly  beside 
them,  and  the  big 
footman  followed ; 
several  times  he 
looked  very  queer 
as  he  watched  the 
little  figure  making 
the  very  most  of  all 
its  strength,  and  bearing  its  burden  with  such  good-will.  The  Earl, 
too,  looked  rather  queer,  once,  as  he  glanced  sidewise  down  at  the 


:'JUST   LEAN    ON    ME,'    SAID    LITTLE   LORD    FAUNTLEROY, 
'I  'LL   WALK   VERY   SLOWLY.'  " 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


flushed  little  face.  When  they  entered  the  room  where  they  were 
to  dine,  Cedric  saw  it  was  a  very  large  and  imposing  one,  and  that 
the  footman  who  stood  behind  the  chair  at  the  head  of  the  table 
stared  very  hard  as  they  came  in. 

But  they  reached  the  chair  at  last.  The  hand  was  removed 
from  his  shoulder,  and  the  Earl  was  fairly  seated. 

Cedric  took  out  Dick's  handkerchief  and  wiped  his  forehead. 
"  It 's  a  warm  night,  is  n't  it  ?  "  he  said.      "  Perhaps  you  need  a  fire 
because  — because  of  your  foot,  but  it  seems  just  a  little  warm  to  me." 

His  delicate  consideration  for  his  noble  relative's  feelings  was 
such  that  he  did  not  wish  to  seem  to  intimate  that  any  of  his  sur- 
roundings were  unnecessary. 

"  You  have  been  doing  some  rather  hard  work,"  said  the  Earl. 
"  Oh,  no  ! "  said  Lord  Fauntleroy,  "  it  was  n't  exactly  hard,  but  I 
got  a  little  warm.     A  person  will  get  warm  in  summer  time." 

And  he  rubbed  his  damp  curls  rather  vigorously  with  the  gor- 
geous handkerchief.  His  own  chair  was  placed  at  the  other  end  of 
the  table,  opposite  his  grandfather's.  It  was  a  chair  with  arms,  and 
intended  for  a  much  larger  individual  than  himself;  indeed,  every- 
thing he  had  seen  so  far, — the  great  rooms,  with  their  high  ceilings, 
the  massive  furniture,  the  big  footman,  the  big  dog,  the  Earl  him- 
self,— were  all  of  proportions  calculated  to  make  this  little  lad  feel 
that  he  was  very  small,  indeed.  But  that  did  not  trouble  him  ;  he 
had  never  thought  himself  very  large  or  important,  and  he  was  quite 
willing  to  accommodate  himself  even  to  circumstances  which  rather 
overpowered  him. 

Perhaps  he  had  never  looked  so  little  a  fellow  as  when  seated 
now  in  his  great  chair,  at  the  end  of  the  table.  Notwithstanding 
his  solitary  existence,  the  Earl  chose  to  live  in  some  state.  He 
was  fond  of  his  dinner,  and  he  dined  in  a  formal  style.  Cedric 
looked  at  him  across  a  glitter  of  splendid  glass  and  plate,  which  to 
6 


82  LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

his  unaccustomed  eyes  seemed  quite  dazzling.  A  stranger  looking 
on  might  well  have  smiled  at  the  picture, — the  great  stately  room, 
the  big  liveried  servants,  the  bright  lights,  the  glittering  silver  and 
glass,  the  fierce-looking  old  nobleman  at  the  head  of  the  table  and 
the  very  small  boy  at  the  foot.  Dinner  was  usually  a  very  serious 
matter  with  the  Earl  —  and  it  was  a  very  serious  matter  with  the 
cook,  if  his  lordship  was  not  pleased  or  had  an  indifferent  appetite. 
To-day,  however,  his  appetite  seemed  a  trifle  better  than  usual, 
perhaps  because  he  had  something  to  think  of  beside  the  flavor 
of  the  entrees  and  the  management  of  the  gravies.  His  grandson 
gave  him  something  to  think  of.  He  kept  looking  at  him  across 
the  table.  He  did  not  say  very  much  himself,  but  he  managed  to 
make  the  boy  talk.  He  had  never  imagined  that  he  could  be  enter- 
tained by  hearing  a  child  talk,  but  Lord  Fauntleroy  at  once  puzzled 
and  amused  him,  and  he  kept  remembering  how  he  had  let  the 
childish  shoulder  feel  his  weight  just  for  the  sake  of  trying  how  far 
the  boy's  courage  and  endurance  would  go,  and  it  pleased  him  to 
know  that  his  grandson  had  not  quailed  and  had  not  seemed  to 
think  even  for  a  moment  of  giving  up  what  he  had  undertaken  to  do. 

"You  don't  wear  your  coronet  all  the  time?"  remarked  Lord 
Fauntleroy  respectfully.- 

"  No,"  replied  the  Earl,  with  his  grim  smile  ;  "  it  is  not  becoming 
to  me." 

"Mr.  Hobbs  said  you  always  wore  it,"  said  Cedric ;  "  but  after 
he  thought  it  over,  he  said  he  supposed  you  must  sometimes  take 
it  off  to  put  your  hat  on." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Earl,  "  I  take  it  off  occasionally." 
And  one  of  the  footmen  suddenly  turned  aside  and  gave  a  sin- 
gular little  cough  behind  his  hand. 

Cedric  finished  his  dinner  first,  and  then  he  leaned  back  in  his 
chair  and  took  a  survey  of  the  room. 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  83 

"  You  must  be  very  proud  of  your  house,"  he  said,  "it  's  such  a 
beautiful  house.  I  never  saw  anything  so  beautiful ;  but,  of  course, 
as  I  'm  only  seven,  I  have  n't  seen  much." 

"  And  you  think  I  must  be  proud  of  it,  do  you?"  said  the  Earl. 

"  I  should  think  any  one  would  be  proud  of  it,"  replied  Lord 
Fauntleroy.  "I  should  be  proud  of  it  if  it  were  my  house.  Every- 
thing about  it  is  beautiful.  And  the  park,  and  those  trees, — how 
beautiful  they  are,  and  how  the  leaves  rustle  !  " 

Then  he  paused  an  instant  and  looked  across  the  table  rather 
wistfully. 

"  It  's  a  very  big  house  for  just  two  people  to  live  in,  is  n't  it?" 
he  said. 

"It  is  quite  large  enough  for  two;'  answered  the  Earl.  "Do 
you  find  it  too  large  ?  " 

His  little  lordship  hesitated  a  moment. 

"  I  was  only  thinking,"  he  said,  "  that  if  two  people  lived  in  it  who 
were  not  very  good  companions,  they  might  feel  lonely  sometimes." 

"Do  you  think  I  shall  make  a  good  companion  ? "  inquired  the 
Earl. 

"  Yes,"  replied   Cedric,   "  I   think    you   will.      Mr.    Hobbs   and   I 
were  great  friends.      He  was  the  best  friend  I  had  except  Dearest." 
The  Earl  made  a  quick  movement  of  his  bushy  eyebrows. 

"Who  is  Dearest?" 

"  She  is  my  mother,"  said  Lord  Fauntleroy,  in  a  rather  low,  quiet 
little  voice. 

Perhaps  he  was  a  trifle  tired,  as  his  bed-time  was  nearing,  and 
perhaps  after  the  excitement  of  the  last  few  days  it  was  natural  he 
should  be  tired,  so  perhaps,  too,  the  feeling  of  weariness  brought  to 
him  a  vague  sense  of  loneliness  in  the  remembrance  that  to-night 
he  was  not  to  sleep  at  home,  watched  over  by  the  loving  eyes  of 
that  "best  friend"  of  his.     They  had  always  been   "best  friends," 


84  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

this  boy  and  his  young  mother.  He  could  not  help  thinking  of  her, 
and  the  more  he  thought  of  her  the  less  was  he  inclined  to  talk,  and 
by  the  time  the  dinner  was  at  an  end  the  Earl  saw  that  there  was  a 
faint  shadow  on  his  face.  But  Cedric  bore  himself  with  excellent 
courage,  and  when  they  went  back  to  the  library,  though  the  tall 
footman  walked  on  one  side  of  his  master,  the  Earl's  hand  rested  on 
his  grandson's  shoulder,  though  not  so  heavily  as  before. 

When  the  footman  left  them  alone,  Cedric  sat  down  upon  the 
hearth-rug  near  Dougal.  For  a  few  minutes  he  stroked  the  dog's 
ears  in  silence  and  looked  at  the  fire. 

The  Earl  watched  him.  The  boy's  eyes  looked  wistful  and 
thoughtful,  and  once  or  twice  he  gave  a  little  sigh.  The  Earl  sat 
still,  and  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  his  grandson. 

"  Fauntleroy,"  he  said  at  last,  "what  are  you  thinking  of?" 

Fauntleroy  looked  up  with  a  manful  effort  at  a  smile. 
"I  was  thinking  about  Dearest,"  he  said;    "and  —  and  I   think 
I  'd  better  get  up  and  walk  up  and  down  the  room." 

He  rose  up,  and  put  his  hands  in  his  small  pockets,  and 
began  to  walk  to  and  fro.  His  eyes  were  very  bright,  and  his  lips 
were  pressed  together,  but  he  kept  his  head  up  and  walked  firmly. 
Dougal  moved  lazily  and  looked  at  him,  and  then  stood  up. 
He  walked  over  to  the  child,  and  began  to  follow  him  uneasily. 
Fauntleroy  drew  one  hand  from  his  pocket  and  laid  it  on  the 
dog's  head. 

"  He  's  a  very  nice  dog,"  he  said.      "  He  's  my  friend.      He  knows 
how  I  feel." 

"  How  do  you  feel?"  asked  the  Earl. 

It  disturbed  him  to  see  the  struggle  the  little  fellow  was  having 
with  his  first  feeling  of  homesickness,  but  it  pleased  him  to  see  that 
he  was  making  so  brave  an  effort  to  bear  it  well.  He  liked  this 
childish  courage. 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  85 

"  Come  here,"  he  said. 
Fauntleroy  went  to  him. 

"  I  never  was  away  from  my  own  house  before,"  said  the  boy, 
with  a  troubled  look  in  his  brown  eyes.  "  It  makes  a  person  feel  a 
strange  feeling  when  he  has  to  stay  all  night  in  another  person's 
castle  instead  of  in  his  own  house.  But  Dearest  is  not  very  far 
away  from  me.  She  told  me  to  remember  that  —  and  —  and  I  'm 
seven  —  and  I  can  look  at  the  picture  she  gave  me." 

He  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  and  brought  out  a  small  violet 
velvet-covered  case. 

"This  is  it,"  he  said.  "You  see,  you  press  this  spring  and  it 
opens,  and  she  is  in  there  ! " 

He  had  come  close  to  the  Earl's  chair,  and,  as  he  drew  forth 
the  little  case,  he  leaned  against  the  arm  of  it,  and  against  the  old 
man's  arm,  too,  as  confidingly  as  if  children  had  always  leaned 
there. 

"  There  she  is,"  he  said,  as  the  case  opened ;  and  he  looked  up 
with  a  smile. 

The  Earl  knitted  his  brows ;  he  did  not  wish  to  see  the  picture, 
but  he  looked  at  it  in  spite  of  himself;  and  there  looked  up  at 
him  from  it  such  a  pretty  young  face  —  a  face  so  like  the  child's 
at  his  side  —  that  it  quite  startled  him. 

"  I  suppose  you  think  you  are  very  fond  of  her,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Lord  Fauntleroy,  in  a  gentle  tone,  and  with 
simple  directness;  "I  do  think  so,  and  I  think  it  's  true.  You  see, 
Mr.  Hobbs  was  my  friend,  and  Dick  and  Bridget  and  Mary  and 
Michael,  they  were  my  friends,  too ;  but  Dearest  —  well,  she  is  my 
close  friend,  and  we  always  tell  each  other  everything.  My  father 
left  her  to  me  to  take  care  of,  and  when  I  am  a  man  I  am  going  to 
work  and  earn  money  for  her." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  doing?"  inquired  his  grandfather. 


86  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

His  young  lordship  slipped  down  upon  the  hearth-rug,  and  sat 
there  with  the  picture  still  in  his  hand.  He  seemed  to  be  reflecting 
seriously,  before  he  answered. 

"  I  did  think  perhaps,!  might  go  into  business  with  Mr.  Hobbs," 
he  said ;    "  but  I  should  like  to  be  a  President." 

"  We  '11  send  you  to  the  House  of  Lords  instead,"  said  his  grand- 
father. 

''Well,"  remarked  Lord  Fauntleroy,  "  if  I  could  nt  be  a  Presi- 
dent, and  if  that  is  a  good  business,  I  should  n't  mind.  The  grocery 
business  is  dull  sometimes." 

Perhaps  he  was  weighing  the  matter  in  his  mind,  for  he  sat 
very  quiet  after  this,  and  looked  at  the  fire  for  some  time. 

The  Earl  did  not  speak  again.  He  leaned  back  in  his  chair 
and  watched  him.  A  great  many  strange  new  thoughts  passed 
through  the  old  nobleman's  mind.  Dougal  had  stretched  himself 
out  and  gone  to  sleep  with  his  head  on  his  huge  paws.  There  was 
a  long  silence. 

In  about  half  an  hour's  time  Mr.  Havisham  was  ushered  in. 
The  great  room  was  very  still  when  he  entered.  The  Earl  was  still 
leaning  back  in  his  chair.  He  moved  as  Mr.  Havisham  approached, 
and  held  up  his  hand  in  a  gesture  of  warning  —  it  seemed  as  if  he 
had  scarcely  intended  to  make  the  gesture  —  as  if  it  were  almost 
involuntary.  Dougal  was  still  asleep,  and  close  beside  the  great 
dog,  sleeping  also,  with  his  curly  head  upon  his  arm,  lay  little  Lord 
Fauntleroy. 


VI 

When  Lord  Fauntleroy  wakened  in  the  morning, — he  had 
not  wakened  at  all  when  he  had  been  carried  to  bed  the 
night  before, —  the  first  sounds  he  was  conscious  of  were 
the  crackling  of  a  wood  fire  and  the  murmur  of  voices. 

"  You  will  be  careful,  Dawson,  not  to  say  anything  about  it," 
he  heard  some  one  say.  "  He  does  not  know  why  she  is  not  to  oe 
with  him,  and  the  reason  is  to  be  kept  from  him." 

"  If  them  's  his  lordship's  orders,  mem,"  another  voice  answered, 
they  '11  have  to  be  kep',  I  suppose.  But,  if  you  '11  excuse  the  liberty, 
mem,  as  it  's  between  ourselves,  servant  or  no  servant,  all  I  have  to 
say  is,  it's  a  cruel  thing, — parting  that  poor,  pretty,  young  widdered 
cre'tur'  from  her  own  flesh  and  blood,  and  him  such  a  little  beauty 
and  a  nobleman  born.  James  and  Thomas,  mem,  last  night  in  the 
servants'  hall,  they  both  of  'em  say  as  they  never  see  anythink  in 
their  two  lives  —  nor  yet  no  other  gentleman  in  livery  —  like  that 
little  fellow's  ways,  as  innercent  an'  polite  an'  interested  as  if  he  'd 
been  sitting  there  dining  with  his  best  friend, —  and  the  temper  of 
a'  angel,  instead  of  one  (if  you  '11  excuse  me,  mem),  as  it  's  well 
known,  is  enough  to  curdle  your  blood  in  your  veins  at  times.  And 
as  to  looks,  mem,  when  we  was  rung  for,  James  and  me,  to  go  into 
the  library  and  bring  him  upstairs,  and  James  lifted  him  up  in  his 
arms,  what  with  his  little  innercent  face  all  red  and  rosy,  and  his 
little  head  on  James's  shoulder  and  his  hair  hanging  down,  all  curly 
an'  shinin',  a  prettier,  takiner  sight  you  'd  never  wish  to  see.     An' 


88  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

it  's  my  opinion,  my  lord  was  n't  blind  to  it  neither,  for  he  looked  at 
him,  and  he  says  to  James,  '  See  you  don't  wake  him  ! '  he  says." 

Cedric  moved  on  his  pillow,  and  turned  over,  opening  his  eyes. 
There  were  two  women  in  the  room.  Everything  was  bright 
and  cheerful  with  gay-flowered  chintz.  There  was  a  fire  on  the 
hearth,  and  the  sunshine  was  streaming  in  through  the  ivy-entwined 
windows.  Both  women  came  toward  him,  and  he  saw  that  one  of 
them  was  Mrs.  Mellon,  the  housekeeper,  and  the  other  a  comfort- 
able, middle-aged  woman,  with  a  face  as  kind  and  good-humored  as 
a  face  could  be. 

"  Good-morning,  my  lord,"  said  Mrs.  Mellon.  "  Did  you  sleep 
well?" 

His  lordship  rubbed  his  eyes  and  smiled. 

"  Good-morning,"  he  said.      "  I  did  n't  know  I  was  here." 

"  You  were  carried  upstairs  when  you  were  asleep,"  said  the 
housekeeper.  "This  is  your  bedroom,  and  this  is  Dawson,  who  is 
to  take  care  of  you." 

Fauntleroy  sat  up  in  bed  and  held  out  his  hand  to  Dawson,  as 
he  had  held  it  out  to  the  Earl. 

"  How  do  you  do,  ma'am  ? "  he  said.  "  I  'm  much  obliged  to  you 
for  comma-  to  take  care  of  me." 

"  You  can  call  her  Dawson,  my  lord,"  said  the  housekeeper  with 
a  smile.      "  She  is  used  to  being-  called  Dawson." 

"  Miss  Dawson,  or  Mrs.  Dawson  ?  "  inquired  his  lordship. 

"  Just  Dawson,  my  lord,"  said  Dawson  herself,  beaming  all  over. 
"  Neither  Miss  nor  Missis,  bless  your  little  heart !  Will  you  get  up 
now,  and  let  Dawson  dress  you,  and  then  have  your  breakfast  in  the 
nursery  ?  " 

"  I  learned  to  dress  myself  many  years  ago,  thank  you,"  answered 
Fauntleroy.  "  Dearest  taught  me.  'Dearest'  is  my  mamma.  We 
had  only  Mary  to  do  all  the  work, — washing  and  all, — and  so  of 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  89 

course  it  would  n't  do  to  give  her  so  much  trouble.  I  can  take  my 
bath,  too,  pretty  well  if  you  '11  just  be  kind  enough  to  'zamine  the 
corners  after  I  'm  done." 

Dawson  and  the  housekeeper  exchanged  glances. 

"  Dawson  will  do  anything  you  ask  her  to,"  said  Mrs.  Mellon. 

"  That  I  will,  bless  him,"  said  Dawson,  in  her  comforting,  good- 
humored  voice.  "  He  shall  dress  himself  if  he  likes,  and  I  '11  stand 
by,  ready  to  help  him  if  he  wants  me." 

"Thank  you,"  responded  Lord  Fauntleroy ;  "it's  a  little  hard 
sometimes  about  the  buttons,  you  know,  and  then  I  have  to  ask 
somebody." 

He  thought  Dawson  a  very  kind  woman,  and  before  the  bath 
and  the  dressing  were  finished  they  were  excellent  friends,  and  he 
had  found  out  a  great  deal  about  her.  He  had  discovered  that  her 
husband  had  been  a  soldier  and  had  been  killed  in  a  real  battle,  and 
that  her  son  was  a  sailor,  and  was  away  on  a  long  cruise,  and  that 
he  had  seen  pirates  and  cannibals  and  Chinese  people  and  Turks, 
and  that  he  brought  home  strange  shells  and  pieces  of  coral  which 
Dawson  was  ready  to  show  at  any  moment,  some  of  them  being  in 
her  trunk.  All  this  was  very  interesting.  He  also  found  out  that 
she  had  taken  care  of  little  children  all  her  life,  and  that  she  had  just 
come  from  a  great  house  in  another  part  of  England,  where  she  had 
been  taking  care  of  a  beautiful  little  girl  whose  name  was  Lady 
Gwyneth  Vaughn. 

"  And  she  is  a  sort  of  relation  of  your  lordship's,"  said  Dawson. 
"And  perhaps  sometime  you  may  see  her." 

"  Do  you  think  I  shall  ?"  said  Fauntleroy.  "  I  should  like  that. 
I  never  knew  any  little  girls,  but  I  always  like  to  look  at  them." 

When  he  went  into  the  adjoining  room  to  take  his  breakfast,  and 
saw  what  a  great  room  it  was,  and  found  there  was  another  adjoin- 
ing it  which  Dawson  told  him  was  his  also,  the  feeling  that  he  was 


90  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

very  small  indeed  came  over  him  again  so  strongly  that  he  confided 
it  to  Dawson,  as  he  sat  down  to  the  table  on  which  the  pretty  break- 
fast service  was  arranged. 

"I  am  a  very  little  .boy,"  he  said  rather  wistfully,  "to  live  in 
such  a  large  castle,  and  have  so  many  big  rooms, — don't  you 
think  so  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  come ! "  said  Dawson,  "  you  feel  just  a  little  strange  at 
first,  that  's  all ;  but  you  '11  get  over  that  very  soon,  and  then  you  '11 
like  it  here.      It  's  such  a  beautiful  place,  you  know." 

"  It  's  a  very  beautiful  place,  of  course,"  said  Fauntleroy,  with  a 
little  sigh;  "but  I  should  like  it  better  if  I  did  n't  miss  Dearest  so. 
I  always  had  my  breakfast  with  her  in  the  morning,  and  put  the 
sugar  and  cream  in  her  tea  for  her,  and  handed  her  the  toast.  That 
made  it  very  sociable,  of  course." 

"  Oh,  well !  "  answered  Dawson,  comfortingly,  "you  know  you  can 
see  her  every  day,  and  there  's  no  knowing  how  much  you  '11  have 
to  tell  her.  Bless  you  !  wait  till  you  've  walked  about  a  bit  and 
seen  things, — the  dogs,  and  the  stables  with  all  the  horses  in  them. 
There  's  one  of  them  I  know  you  '11  like  to  see " 

"  Is  there  ? "  exclaimed  Fauntleroy ;  "  I  'm  very  fond  of  horses. 
I  was  very  fond  of  Jim.  He  was  the  horse  that  belonged  to 
Mr.  Hobbs'  grocery  wagon.  He  was  a  beautiful  horse  when  he 
was  n't  balky." 

"  Well,"  said  Dawson,  "  you  just  wait  till  you  've  seen  what  's  in 
the  stables.  And,  deary  me,  you  have  n't  looked  even  into  the  very 
next  room  yet !  " 

"  What  is  there  ?  "  asked  Fauntleroy. 

"  Wait  until  you  've  had  your  breakfast,  and  then  you  shall  see," 
said  Dawson. 

At  this  he  naturally  began   to   grow  curious,   and   he   applied 
himself  assiduously  to  his  breakfast.      It  seemed  to  him  that  there 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  91 


must  be  something  worth  looking  at,   in  the  next  room ;    Dawson 
had  such  a  consequential,  mysterious  air. 

"  Now,  then,"  he  said,  slipping  off  his  seat  a  few  minutes  later; 
"  I  've  had  enough.      Can  I  go  and  look  at  it  ?  " 

Dawson  nodded  and  led  the  way,  looking  more  mysterious  and 
important  than  ever.  He  began  to  be  very  much  interested  indeed. 
When  she  opened  the  door  of  the  room,  he  stood  upon  the 
threshold  and  looked  about  him  in  amazement.  He  did  not  speak; 
he  only  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  and  stood  there  flushing  up  to 
his  forehead  and  looking  in. 

He  flushed  up  because  he  was  so  surprised  and,  for  the  moment, 
excited.  To  see  such  a  place  was  enough  to  surprise  any  ordinary 
boy. 

The  room  was  a  large  one,  too,  as  all  the  rooms  seemed  to  be, 
and  it  appeared  to  him  more  beautiful  than  the  rest,  only  in  a  differ- 
ent way.  The  furniture  was  not  so  massive  and  antique  as  was  that 
in  the  rooms  he  had  seen  downstairs ;  the  draperies  and  rugs  and 
walls  were  brighter;  there  were  shelves  full  of  books,  and  on  the 
tables  were  numbers  of  toys, — beautiful,  ingenious  things, — such  as 
he  had  looked  at  with  wonder  and  delight  through  the  shop  windows 
in  New  York. 

"  It  looks  like  a  boy's  room,"  he  said  at  last,  catching  his  breath 
a  little.      "Whom  do  they  belong  to  ?  " 

"  Go  and  look  at  them,"  said  Dawson.      "  They  belong  to  you  !  " 

"To  me!"  he  cried;  "to  me?  Why  do  they  belong  to  me? 
Who  gave  them  to  me  ?  "  And  he  sprang  forward  with  a  gay  little 
shout.  It  seemed  almost  too  much  to  be  believed.  "  It  was  Grand- 
papa ! "  he  said,  with  his  eyes  as  bright  as  stars.  "  I  know  it  was 
Grandpapa ! " 

"  Yes,  it  was  his  lordship,"  said  Dawson  ;  "  and  if  you  will  be  a 
nice    little    gentleman,    and    not  fret    about   things,    and   will  enjoy 


9  2  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

yourself,  and  be  happy  all  the  day,  he  will  give  you  anything  you 
ask  for." 

It  was  a  tremendously  exciting  morning.  There  were  so  many 
things  to  be  examined,  so  many  experiments  to  be  tried  ;  each  nov- 
elty was  so  absorbing  that  he  could  scarcely  turn  from  it  to  look  at 
the  next.  And  it  was  so  curious  to  know  that  all  this  had  been  pre- 
pared for  himself  alone  ;  that,  even  before  he  had  left  New  York, 
people  had  come  down  from  London  to  arrange  the  rooms  he  was 
to  occupy,  and  had  provided  the  books  and  playthings  most  likely  to 
interest  him. 

"  Did  you  ever  know  any  one,"  he  said  to  Dawson,  "  who  had 
such  a  kind  grandfather  !  " 

Dawson's  face  wore  an  uncertain  expression  for  a  moment.  She 
had  not  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  lordship  the  Earl.  She  had  not 
been  in  the  house  many  days,  but  she  had  been  there  long  enough 
to  hear  the  old  nobleman's  peculiarities  discussed  very  freely  in  the 
servants'  hall. 

"An'  of  all  the  wicious,  savage,  hill-tempered  hold  fellows  it  was 
ever  my  hill-luck  to  wear  livery  hunder,"  the  tallest  footman  had 
said,  "  he  's  the  wiolentest  and  wust  by  a  long  shot." 

And  this  particular  footman,  whose  name  was  Thomas,  had 
also  repeated  to  his  companions  below  stairs  some  of  the  Earl's 
remarks  to  Mr.  Havisham,  when  they  had  been  discussing  these  very 
preparations. 

"  Give  him  his  own  way,  and  fill  his  rooms  with  toys,"  my 
lord  had  said.  "  Give  him  what  will  amuse  him,  and  he  '11  forget 
about  his  mother  quickly  enough.  Amuse  him,  and  fill  his  mind  with 
other  things,  and  we  shall  have  no  trouble.     That 's  boy  nature." 

So,  perhaps,  having  had  this  truly  amiable  object  in  view,  it  did 
not  please  him  so  very  much  to  find  it  did  not  seem  to  be  exactly 
this  particular  boy's  nature.     The  Earl  had  passed  a  bad  night  and 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  93 

had  spent   the   morning   in   his   room ;    but   at   noon,   after   he   had 
lunched,  he  sent  for  his  grandson. 

Fauntleroy  answered  the  summons  at  once.  He  came  down 
the  broad  staircase  with  a  bounding  step ;  the  Earl  heard  him  run 
across  the  hall,  and  then  the  door  opened  and  he  came  in  with  red 
cheeks  and  sparkling  eyes. 

"  I  was  waiting  for  you  to  send  for  me,"  he  said.  "  I  was  ready 
a  long  time  ago.  I  'm  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you  for  all  those 
things  !  I  'm  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you  !  I  have  been  playing 
with  them  all  the  morning." 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  Earl,  "  you  like  them,  do  you  ?" 

"I  like  them  so  much — well,  I  could  n't  tell  you  how  much ! " 
said  Fauntleroy,  his  face  glowing  with  delight.  "  There  's  one  that 's 
like  baseball,  only  you  play  it  on  a  board  with  black  and  white  pegs, 
and  you  keep  your  score  with  some  counters  on  a  wire.  I  tried  to 
teach  Dawson,  but  she  could  n't  quite  understand  it  just  at  first — 
you  see,  she  never  played  baseball,  being  a  lady ;  and  I  'm  afraid  I 
was  n't  very  good  at  explaining  it  to  her.  But  you  know  all  about 
it,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  I  'm  afraid  I  don't,"  replied  the  Earl.  "  It  's  an  American  game, 
is  n't  it?      Is  it  something  like  cricket?" 

"I  never  saw  cricket,"  said  Fauntleroy;  "but  Mr.  Hobbs  took 
me  several  times  to  see  baseball.  It 's  a  splendid  game.  You  get 
so  excited  !  Would  you  like  me  to  go  and  get  my  game  and  show 
it  to  you  ?  Perhaps  it  would  amuse  you  and  make  you  forget  about 
your  foot.      Does  your  foot  hurt  you  very  much  this  morning  ?  " 

"  More  than  I  enjoy,"  was  the  answer. 

"Then  perhaps  you  could  n't  forget  it,"  said  the  little  fellow  anx- 
iously. "  Perhaps  it  would  bother  you  to  be  told  about  the  game. 
Do  you  think  it  would  amuse  you,  or  do  you  think  it  would  bother 
you?" 


94  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

"  Go  and  get  it,''  said  the  Earl. 
It  certainly  was  a  novel  entertainment  this, — making  a  com- 
panion of  a  child  who  offered  to  teach  him  to  play  games, — but  the 
very  novelty  of  it  amused  him.  There  was  a  smile  lurking  about 
the  Earl's  mouth  when  Cedric  came  back  with  the  box  containing 
the  game,  in  his  arms,  and  an  expression  of  the  most  eager  interest 
on  his  face. 

"  May  I  pull  that  little  table  over  here  to  your  chair  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Ring  for  Thomas,"  said  the  Earl.      "  He  will  place  it  for  you." 

"  Oh,  I  can  do  it  myself,"  answered  Fauntleroy.  "  It  's  not  very 
heavy." 

"  Very  well,"  replied  his  grandfather.  The  lurking  smile  deep- 
ened on  the  old  man's  face  as  he  watched  the  little  fellow's  prepara- 
tions ;  there  was  such  an  absorbed  interest  in  them.  The  small 
table  was  dragged  forward  and  placed  by  his  chair,  and  the  game 
taken  from  its  box  and  arranged  upon  it. 

"  It  's  very  interesting  when  you  once  begin,"  said  Fauntleroy. 
"  You  see,  the  black  pegs  can  be  your  side  and  the  white  ones  mine. 
They  're  men,  you  know,  and  once  round  the  field  is  a  home  run  and 
counts  one  —  and  these  are  the  outs  —  and  here  is  the  first  base  and 
that  's  the  second  and  that  's  the  third  and  that  's  the  home  base. 

He  entered  into  the  details  of  explanation  with  the  greatest 
animation.  He  showed  all  the  attitudes  of  pitcher  and  catcher  and 
batter  in  the  real  game,  and  gave  a  dramatic  description  of  a 
wonderful  "hot  ball"  he  had  seen  caught  on  the  glorious  occasion 
on  which  he  had  witnessed  a  match  in  company  with  Mr.  Hobbs. 
His  vigorous,  graceful  little  body,  his  eager  gestures,  his  simple 
enjoyment  of  it  all,  were  pleasant  to  behold. 

When  at  last  the  explanations  and  illustrations  were  at  an  end 
and  the  a-ame  be^an  in  eood  earnest,  the  Earl  still  found  himself 
entertained.    His  young  companion  was  wholly  absorbed  ;   he  played 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  95 

with  all  his  childish  heart ;  his  gay  little  laughs  when  he  made  a 
good  throw,  his  enthusiasm  over  a  "home  run,"  his  impartial  delight 
over  his  own  good  luck  and  his  opponent's,  would  have  given  a  flavor 
to  any  game. 

If,  a  week  before,  any  one  had  told  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt  that 
on  that  particular  morning  he  would  be  forgetting  his  gout  and  his 
bad  temper  in  a  child's  game,  played  with  black  and  white  wooden 
pegs,  on  a  gayly  painted  board,  with  a  curly-headed  small  boy  for  a 
companion,  he  would  without  doubt  have  made  himself  very  unpleas- 
ant ;  and  yet  he  certainly  had  forgotten  himself  when  the  door 
opened  and  Thomas  announced  a  visitor. 

The  visitor  in  question,  who  was  an  elderly  gentleman  in  black, 
and  no  less  a  person  than  the  clergyman  of  the  parish,  was  so  startled 
by  the  amazing  scene  which  met  his  eye,  that  he  almost  fell  back  a 
pace,  and  ran  some  risk  of  colliding  with  Thomas. 

There  was,  in  fact,  no  part  of  his  duty  that  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Mordaunt  found  so  decidedly  unpleasant  as  that  part  which  com- 
pelled him  to  call  upon  his  noble  patron  at  the  Castle.  His  noble 
patron,  indeed,  usually  made  these  visits  as  disagreeable  as  it  lay  in 
his  lordly  power  to  make  them.  He  abhorred  churches  and  charities, 
and  flew  into  violent  rages  when  any  of  his  tenantry  took  the  liberty 
of  being  poor  and  ill  and  needing  assistance.  When  his  gout  was 
at  its  worst,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  announce  that  he  would  not  be 
bored  and  irritated  by  being  told  stories  of  their  miserable  mis- 
fortunes ;  'when  his  gout  troubled  him  less  and  he  was  in  a  somewhat 
more  humane  frame  of  mind,  he  would  perhaps  give  the  rector  some 
money,  after  having  bullied  him  in  the  most  painful  manner,  and 
berated  the  whole  parish  for  its  shiftlessness  and  imbecility.  But, 
whatsoever  his  mood,  he  never  failed  to  make  as  many  sarcastic  and 
embarrassing  speeches  as  possible,  and  to  causethe  Reverend  Mr.  Mor- 
daunt to  wish  it  were  proper  and   Christian-like  to  throw  something 


g6  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

heavy  at  him.  During  all  the  years  in  which  Mr.  Mordaunt  had  been 
in  charge  of  Dorincourt  parish,  the  rector  certainly  did  not  remember 
having  seen  his  lordship,  of  his  own  free  will,  do  any  one  a  kindness, 
or,  under  any  circumstances  whatever,  show  that  he  thought  of  any 
one  but  himself. 

He  had  called  to-day  to  speak  to  him  of  a  specially  pressing 
case,  and  as  he  had  walked  up  the  avenue,  he  had,  for  two  reasons, 
dreaded  his  visit  more  than  usual.  In  the  first  place,  he  knew  that 
his  lordship  had  for  several  days  been  suffering  with  the  gout,  and 
had  been  in  so  villainous  a  humor  that  rumors  of  it  had  even  reached 
the  village  —  carried  there  by  one  of  the  young  women  servants,  to 
her  sister,  who  kept  a  little  shop  and  retailed  darning-needles  and 
cotton  and  peppermints  and  gossip,  as  a  means  of  earning  an  honest 
living.  What  Mrs.  Dibble  did  not  know  about  the  Castle  and  its 
inmates,  and  the  farm-houses  and  their  inmates,  and  the  village  and 
its  population,  was  really  not  worth  being  talked  about.  And  of 
course  she  knew  everything  about  the  Castle,  because  her  sister, 
Jane  Shorts,  was  one  of  the  upper  housemaids,  and  was  very  friendly 
and  intimate  with  Thomas. 

"  And  the  way  his  lordship  do  go  on  !  "  said  Mrs.  Dibble,  over 
the  counter,  "  and  the  way  he  do  use  language,  Mr.  Thomas  told 
Jane  herself,  no  flesh  and  blood  as  is  in  livery  could  stand  —  for 
throw  a  plate  of  toast  at  Mr.  Thomas,  hisself,  he  did,  not  more  than 
two  days  since,  and  if  it  were  n't  for  other  things  being  agreeable 
and  the  society  below  stairs  most  genteel,  warning  would  have  been 
gave  within  a'  hour  !  " 

And  the  rector  had  heard  all  this,  for  somehow  the  Earl  was  a 
favorite  black  sheep  in  the  cottages  and  farm-houses,  and  his  bad 
behavior  gave  many  a  good  woman  something  to  talk  about  when 
she  had  company  to  tea. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  97 

And  the  second  reason  was  even  worse,  because  it  was  a  new 
one  and  had  been  talked  about  with  the  most  excited  interest. 

Who  did  not  know  of  the  old  nobleman's  fury  when  his  hand- 
some son  the  Captain  had  married  the  American  lady  ?  Who  did 
not  know  how  cruelly  he  had  treated  the  Captain,  and  how  the  big, 
gay,  sweet-smiling  young  man,  who  was  the  only  member  of  the 
grand  family  any  one  liked,  had  died  in  a  foreign  land,  poor  and 
unforgiven  ?  Who  did  not  know  how  fiercely  his  lordship  had  hated 
the  poor  young  creature  who  had  been  this  son's  wife,  and  how  he 
had  hated  the  thought  of  her  child  and  never  meant  to  see  the  boy — 
until  his  two  sons  died  and  left  him  without  an  heir  ?  And  then,  who 
did  not  know  that  he  had  looked  forward  without  any  affection  or 
pleasure  to  his  grandson's  coming,  and  that  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  that  he  should  find  the  boy  a  vulgar,  awkward,  pert  American 
lad,  more  likely  to  disgrace  his  noble  name  than  to  honor  it  ? 

The  proud,  angry  old  man  thought  he  had  kept  all  his  thoughts 
secret.  He  did  not  suppose  any  one  had  dared  to  guess  at,  much 
less  talk  over  what  he  felt,  and  dreaded ;  but  his  servants  watched 
him,  and  read  his  face  and  his  ill-humors  and  fits  of  gloom,  and  dis- 
cussed them  in  the  servants'  hall.  And  while  he  thought  himself 
quite  secure  from  the  common  herd,  Thomas  was  telling  Jane  and 
the  cook,  and  the  butler,  and  the  housemaids  and  the  other  footmen 
that  it  was  his  opinion  that  "  the  hold  man  was  wuss  than  usual 
a-thinkin'  hover  the  Capting's  boy,  an'  hanticipatin'  as  he  wont  be  no 
credit  to  the  fambly.  An'  serve  him  right,"  added  Thomas;  "hit 's  'is 
hown  fault.  Wot  can  he  iggspect  from  a  child  brought  up  in  pore 
circumstances  in  that  there  low  Hamerica  ?  " 

And  as  the  Reverend  Mr.  Mordaunt  walked  under  the  great  trees, 
he  remembered  that  this  questionable  little  boy  had  arrived  at  the 
Castle  only  the  evening  before,  and  that  there  were  nine  chances  to 
7 


98  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

one  that  his  lordship's  worst  fears  were  realized,  and  twenty-two 
chances  to  one  that  if  the  poor  little  fellow  had  disappointed  him,  the 
Earl  was  even  now  in  a  tearing  rage,  and  ready  to  vent  all  his  ran- 
cor on  the  first  person  who  called — which  it  appeared  probable 
would  be  his  reverend  self. 

Judge  then  of  his  amazement  when,  as  Thomas  opened  the  library 
door,  his  ears  were  greeted  by  a  delighted  ring  of  childish  laughter. 

"  That  's  two  out !  "  shouted  an  excited,  clear  little  voice.  "  You 
see  it  's  two  out !  " 

And  there  was  the  Earl's  chair,  and  the  gout-stool,  and  his  foot 
on  it ;  and  by  him  a  small  table  and  a  game  on  it ;  and  quite  close 
to  him,  actually  leaning  against  his  arm  and  his  ungouty  knee,  was  a 
little  boy  with  face  glowing,  and  eyes  dancing  with  excitement.  "It  's 
two  out!"  the  little  stranger  cried.  "You  had  n't  any  luck  that 
time,  had  you?" — And  then  they  both  recognized  at  once  that  some 
one  had  come  in. 

The  Earl  glanced  around,  knitting  his  shaggy  eyebrows  as  he 
had  a  trick  of  doing,  and  when  he  saw  who  it  was,  Mr.  Mordaunt 
was  still  more  surprised  to  see  that  he  looked  even  less  disagreeable 
than  usual  instead  of  more  so.  In  fact,  he  looked  almost  as  if  he  had 
forgotten  for  the  moment  how  disagreeable  he  was,  and  how  unpleas- 
ant he  really  could  make  himself  when  he  tried. 

"  Ah !  "  he  said,  in  his  harsh  voice,  but  giving  his  hand  rather 
graciously.  "  Good-morning,  Mordaunt.  I  've  found  a  new  employ- 
ment, you  see." 

He  put  his  other  hand  on  Cedric's  shoulder, —  perhaps  deep 
down  in  his  heart  there  was  a  stir  of  gratified  pride  that  it  was  such 
an  heir  he  had  to  present ;  there  was  a  spark  of  something  like 
pleasure  in  his  eyes  as  he  moved  the  boy  slightly  forward. 

"  This  is  the  new  Lord  Fauntleroy,"  he  said.  "  Fauntleroy,  this 
is  Mr.  Mordaunt,  the  rector  of  the  parish." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  99 

Fauntleroy  looked  up  at  the  gentleman  in  the  clerical  garments, 
and  gave  him  his  hand. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  make  your  acquaintance,  sir,"  he  said,  remem- 
bering the  words  he  had  heard  Mr.  Hobbs  use  on  one  or  two  occasions 
when  he  had  been  greeting  a  new  customer  with  ceremony.  Cedric  felt 
quite  sure  that  one  ought  to  be  more  than  usually  polite  to  a  minister. 
Mr.  Mordaunt  held  the  small  hand  in  his  a  moment  as  he  looked 
down  at  the  child's  face,  smiling  involuntarily.  He  liked  the  little 
fellow  from  that  instant  —  as  in  fact  people  always  did  like  him. 
And  it  was  not  the  boy's  beauty  and  grace  which  most  appealed  to 
him;  it  was  the  simple,  natural  kindliness  in  the  little  lad  which  made 
any  words  he  uttered,  however  quaint  and  unexpected,  sound  pleas- 
ant and  sincere.  As  the  rector  looked  at  Cedric,  he  forgot  to  think 
of  the  Earl  at  all.  Nothing  in  the  world  is  so  strong  as  a  kind 
heart,  and  somehow  this  kind  little  heart,  though  it  was  only  the 
heart  of  a  child,  seemed  to  clear  all  the  atmosphere  of  the  big 
gloomy  room  and  make  it  brighter. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  make  your  acquaintance,  Lord  Fauntleroy," 
said  the  rector.  "  You  made  a  long  journey  to  come  to  us.  A  great 
many  people  will  be  glad  to  know  you  made  it  safely." 

"  It  was  a  long  way,"  answered  Fauntleroy,  "  but  Dearest,  my 
mother,  was  with  me  and  I  was  n't  lonely.  Of  course  you  are  never 
lonely  if  your  mother  is  with  you  ;  and  the  ship  was  beautiful." 

"  Take  a  chair,  Mordaunt,"  said  the  Earl.  Mr.  Mordaunt  sat 
down.      He  glanced  from  Fauntleroy  to  the  Earl. 

"  Your  lordship  is  greatly  to  be  congratulated,"  he  said  warmly. 
But  the  Earl  plainly  had  no  intention  of  showing  his  feelings  on 
the  subject. 

"  He  is  like  his  father,"  he  said  rather  gruffly.  "  Let  us  hope 
he  '11  conduct  himself  more  creditably."  And  then  he  added  :  "  Well, 
what  is  it  this  morning,  Mordaunt?     Who  is  in  trouble  now?" 


IOO  LITTLE  LORD,   FAUNTLEROY. 

This  was  not   as  bad  as  Mr.   Mordaunt  had  expected,  but  he 
hesitated  a  second  before  he  began. 

"It  is  Higgins,"  he  said;  "  Higgins  of  Edge  Farm.  He  has 
been  very  unfortunate.  *  He  was  ill  himself  last  autumn,  and  his 
children  had  scarlet  fever.  I  can't  say  that  he  is  a  very  good 
manager,  but  he  has  had  ill-luck,  and  of  course  he  is  behindhand  in 
many  ways.  He  is  in  trouble  about  his  rent  now.  Newick  tells 
him  if  he  does  n't  pay  it,  he  must  leave  the  place ;  and  of  course 
that  would  be  a  very  serious  matter.  His  wife  is  ill,  and  he  came  to 
me  yesterday  to  beg  me  to  see  about  it,  and  ask  you  for  time.  He 
thinks  if  you  would  give  him  time  he  could  catch  up  again." 

"  They  all  think  that,"  said  the  Earl,  looking  rather  black. 
Fauntleroy  made  a  movement  forward.  He  had  been  standing 
between  his  grandfather  and  the  visitor,  listening  with  all  his  might. 
He  had  begun  to  be  interested  in  Higgins  at  once.  He  wondered 
how  many  children  there  were,  and  if  the  scarlet  fever  had  hurt 
them  very  much.  His  eyes  were  wide  open  and  were  fixed  upon 
Mr.  Mordaunt  with  intent  interest  as  that  o-entleman  went  on  with 
the  conversation. 

"  Wiggins  is  a  well-meaning  man,"  said  the  rector,  making  an 
effort  to  strengthen  his  plea. 

"  He  is  a  bad  enough  tenant,"  replied  his  lordship.  "  And  he  is 
always  behindhand,  Newick  tells  me." 

"  He  is  in  great  trouble  now,"  said  the  rector. 

"  He  is  very  fond  of  his  wife  and  children,  and  if  the  farm  is 
taken  from  him  they  may  literally  starve.  He  can  not  give  them 
the  nourishing  things  they  need.  Two  of  the  children  were  left 
very  low  after  the  fever,  and  the  doctor  orders  for  them  wine  and 
luxuries  that  Higgins  can  not  afford." 

At  this  Fauntleroy  moved  a  step  nearer. 

"  That  was  the  way  with  Michael,"  he  said. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  IOI 

The  Earl  slightly  started. 

"  I  forgot  you!"  he  said.  "  I  forgot  we  had  a  philanthropist  in 
the  room.  Who  was  Michael  ?  "  And  the  gleam  of  queer  amuse- 
ment came  back  into  the  old  man's  deep-set  eyes. 

"  He  was  Bridget's  husband,  who  had  the  fever,"  answered  Faunt- 
leroy ;  "and  he  could  n't  pay  the  rent  or  buy  wine  and  things. 
And  you  gave  me  that  money  to  help  him." 

The  Earl  drew  his  brows  together  into  a  curious  frown,  which 
somehow  was  scarcely  grim  at  all.  He  glanced  across  at  Mr. 
Mordaunt. 

"  I  don't  know  what  sort  of  landed  proprietor  he  will  make,"  he 
said.  "  I  told  Havisham  the  boy  was  to  have  what  he  wanted — 
anything  he  wanted — and  what  he  wanted,  it  seems,  was  money  to 
give  to  beggars." 

"  Oh !  but  they  were  n't  beggars,"  said  Fauntleroy  eagerly. 
"  Michael  was  a  splendid  bricklayer !     They  all  worked." 

"Oh!"  said  the  Earl,  "they  were  not  beggars.  They  were 
splendid  bricklayers,  and  bootblacks,  and  apple-women." 

He  bent  his  gaze  on  the  boy  for  a  few  seconds  in  silence.  The 
fact  was  that  a  new  thought  was  coming  to  him,  and  though,  per- 
haps, it  was  not  prompted  by  the  noblest  emotions,  it  was  not  a  bad 
thought.      "  Come  here,"  he  said,  at  last. 

Fauntleroy  went  and  stood  as  near  to  him  as  possible  without 
encroaching  on  the  gouty  foot. 

"  What  would  you  do  in  this  case?"  his  lordship  asked. 
It  must  be  confessed  that  Mr.  Mordaunt  experienced  for  the 
moment  a  curious  sensation.  Being  a  man  of  great  thoughtfulness, 
and  having  spent  so  many  years  on  the  estate  of  Dorincourt,  know- 
ing the  tenantry,  rich  and  poor,  the  people  of  the  village,  honest 
and  industrious,  dishonest  and  lazy,  he  realized  very  strongly  what 
power  for  good  or  evil  would  be  given   in  the   future  to   this  one 


102  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

small  boy  standing  there,  his  brown  eyes  wide  open,  his  hands  deep 
in  his  pockets ;  and  the  thought  came  to  him  also  that  a  great  deal 
of  power  might,  perhaps,  through  the  caprice  of  a  proud,  self-indul- 
gent old  man,  be  given  to  him  now,  and  that  if  his  young  nature 
were  not  a  simple  and  generous  one,  it  might  be  the  worst  thing 
that  could  happen,  not  only  for  others,  but  for  himself. 

"  And  what  would  you  do  in  such  a  case?  "  demanded  the  Earl. 
Fauntleroy  drew  a  little  nearer,  and  laid  one  hand  on  his  knee, 
with  the  most  confiding  air  of  good  comradeship. 

"  If  I  were  very  rich,"  he  said,  "  and  not  only  just  a  little  boy,  I 
should  let  him  stay,  and  give  him  the  things  for  his  children ;  but 
then,  I  am  only  a  boy."  Then,  after  a  second's  pause,  in  which  his 
face  brightened  visibly,  "  You  can  do  anything,  can't  you  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Humph  !  "  said  my  lord,  staring  at  him.  "That 's  your  opinion, 
is  it  ?  "     And  he  was  not  displeased  either. 

"  I  mean  you  can  give  any  one  anything,"  said  Fauntleroy. 
"  Who  's  Newick  ?  " 

"  He  is  my  agent,"  answered  the  earl,  "and  some  of  my  tenants 
are  not  over-fond  of  him." 

"  Are  you  going  to  write  him  a  letter  now  ?  "  inquired  Fauntleroy. 
"  Shall  I  bring  you  the  pen  and  ink?  I  can  take  the  game  off"  this 
table." 

It  plainly  had  not  for  an  instant  occurred  to  him  that  Newick 
would  be  allowed  to  do  his  worst. 

The  Earl  paused  a  moment,  still  looking  at  him.  "  Can  you 
write  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Cedric,  "but  not  very  well." 

"Move  the  things  from  the  table,"  commanded  my  lord,  "and 
bring  the  pen  and  ink,  and  a  sheet  of  paper  from  my  desk." 

Mr.  Mordaunt's  interest  began  to  increase.  Fauntleroy  did  as 
he  was  told  very  deftly.  In  a  few  moments,  the  sheet  of  paper,  the 
big  inkstand,  and  the  pen  were  ready. 


LORD    FAUNTLEROY   WRITES   A   LETTER. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  105 

"  There  !  "  he  said  gayly,  "  now  you  can  write  it." 

"  You  are  to  write  it,"  said  the  Earl. 

"  I  !  "  exclaimed  Fauntleroy,  and  a  flush  overspread  his  forehead. 
"  Will  it  do  if  I  write  it  ?  I  don't  always  spell  quite  right  when  I 
have  n't  a  dictionary,  and  nobody  tells  me." 

"  It  will  do,"  answered  the  Earl.  "  Higgins  will  not  complain  of 
the  spelling.  I  'm  not  the  philanthropist ;  you  are.  Dip  your  pen 
in  the  ink." 

Fauntleroy  took  up  the  pen  and  dipped  it  in  the  ink-bottle,  then 
he  arranged  himself  in  position,  leaning  on  the  table. 

"  Now,"  he  inquired,  "what  must  I  say?  " 

"  You  may  say,  '  Higgins  is  not  to  be  interfered  with,  for  the 
present,'  and  sign  it,  ■  Fauntleroy,'  "  said  the  Earl. 

Fauntleroy  dipped  his  pen  in  the  ink  again,  and  resting  his  arm, 
began  to  write.  It  was  rather  a  slow  and  serious  process,  but  he 
gave  his  whole  soul  to  it.  After  a  while,  however,  the  manuscript 
was  complete,  and  he  handed  it  to  his  grandfather  with  a  smile 
slightly  tinged  with  anxiety. 

"  Do  you  think  it  will  do  ?  "  he  asked. 
The  Earl  looked  at  it,  and  the  corners  of  his  mouth  twitched  a 
little. 

"Yes,"  he  answered;  "Higgins  will  find  it  entirely  satisfactory." 
And  he  handed  it  to  Mr.  Mordaunt. 

What  Mr.  Mordaunt  found  written  was  this : 

"  Dear  mr.  Newik  if  you  pleas  mr.  higins  is  not  to  be  inturfeared  witn  for  the 
present  and  oblige  Yours  rispecferly 

"  Fauntleroy." 

"  Mr.  Hobbs  always  signed  his  letters  that  way,"  said  Fauntleroy  ; 
"and  I  thought  I  'd  better  say  'please.'  Is  that  exactly  the  right 
way  to  spell  '  interfered  '  ?  " 


106  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

"  It  's  not  exactly  the  way  it  is  spelled  in  the  dictionary,"' 
answered  the  Earl. 

"  I  was  afraid  of  that,"  said  Fauntleroy.  "  I  ought  to  have  asked. 
You  see,  that 's  the  way  with  words  of  more  than  one  syllable ;  you 
have  to  look  in  the  dictionary.  It 's  always  safest.  I  '11  write  it  over 
again." 

And  write  it  over  again  he  did,  making  quite  an  imposing  copy, 
and  taking  precautions  in  the  matter  of  spelling  by  consulting  the 
Earl  himself. 

"  Spelling  is  a  curious  thing,"  he  said.  "  It  's  so  often  different 
from  what  you  expect  it  to  be.  I  used  to  think  '  please '  was  spelled 
p-1-e-e-s,  but  it  is  n't,  you  know;  and  you  'd  think  'dear'  was 
spelled  d-e-r-e,  if  you  did  n't  inquire.  Sometimes  it  almost  discour- 
ages you." 

When  Mr.  Mordaunt  went  away,  he  took  the  letter  with  him> 
and  he  took  something  else  with  him  also  —  namely,  a  pleasanter 
feeling  and  a  more  hopeful  one  than  he  had  ever  carried  home  with 
him  down  that  avenue  on  any  previous  visit  he  had  made  at  Dorin- 
court  Castle. 

When  he  was  gone,  Fauntleroy,  who  had  accompanied  him  to 
the  door,  went  back  to  his  grandfather. 

"May  I  go  to  Dearest  now?"  he  asked.  "I  think  she  will  be 
waiting  for  me." 

The  Earl  was  silent  a  moment. 

"  There  is  something  in  the  stable  for  you  to  see  first,"  he  said. 
"  Rino-  the  bell." 

"  If  you  please,"  said  Fauntleroy,  with  his  quick  little  flush.  "  I  'm 
very  much  obliged ;  but  I  think  I  'd  better  see  it  to-morrow.  She 
will  be  expecting  me  all  the  time." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  Earl.  "We  will  order  the  carriage.'1 
Then  he  added  dryly,  "  It 's  a  pony." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  107 

Fauntleroy  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  A  pony  !  "  he  exclaimed.      "  Whose  pony  is  it  ?  " 

"  Yours,"  replied  the  Earl. 

"Mine?"  cried  the  little  fellow.  "Mine  —  like  the  things 
upstairs  ? " 

"Yes,"  said  his  grandfather.  "Would  you  like  to  see  it?  Shall 
I  order  it  to  be  brought  around  ? " 

Fauntleroy's  cheeks  grew  redder  and  redder. 

"I  never  thought  I  should  have  a  pony!"  he  said.  "I  never 
thought  that !  How  glad  Dearest  will  be.  You  give  me  everything, 
don't  you  ?" 

"  Do  you  wish  to  see  it?"  inquired  the  Earl. 
Fauntleroy  drew  a  long  breath.      "  I  want  to  see  it,"  he  said. 
"  I  want  to  see  it  so  much  I  can  hardly  wait.      But  I  'm  afraid  there 
is  n't  time." 

"  You  must  go  and  see  your  mother  this  afternoon  ? "  asked  the 
Earl.      "  You  think  you  can't  put  it  off?  " 

"Why,"  said  Fauntleroy,  "she  has  been  thinking  about  me  all  the 
morning,  and  I  have  been  thinking  about  her !  " 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  Earl.  "  You  have,  have  you  ?  Ring  the  bell." 
As  they  drove  down  the  avenue,  under  the  arching  trees,  he  was 
rather  silent.  But  Fauntleroy  was  not.  He  talked  about  the  pony. 
What  color  was  it  ?  How  bip-  was  it  ?  What  was  its  name  ?  What 
did  it  like  to  eat  best?  How  old  was  it?  How  early  in  the  morn- 
ing might  he  get  up  and  see  it  ? 

"  Dearest  will  be  so  glad !  "  he  kept  saying.  "  She  will  be  so 
much  obliged  to  you  for  being  so  kind  to  me !  She  knows  I  always 
liked  ponies  so  much,  but  we  never  thought  I  should  have  one. 
There  was  a  little  boy  on  Fifth  Avenue  who  had  one,  and  he  used 
to  ride  out  every  morning  and  we  used  to  take  a  walk  past  his  house 
to  see  him." 


108  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

He  leaned  back  against  the  cushions  and  regarded  the  Earl 
with  rapt  interest  for  a  few  minutes  and  in  entire  silence. 

"  I  think  you  must  be  the  best  person  in  the  world,"  he  burst 
forth  at  last.  "You  are  always  doing  good,  are  n't  you?  —  and 
thinking  about  other  people.  Dearest  says  that  is  the  best  kind  of 
goodness ;  not  to  think  about  yourself,  but  to  think  about  other  peo- 
ple.    That  is  just  the  way  you  are,  is  n't  it?" 

His  lordship  was  so  dumfounded  to  find  himself  presented  in 
such  agreeable  colors,  that  he  did  not  know  exactly  what  to  say. 
He  felt  that  he  needed  time  for  reflection.  To  see  each  of  his  ugly, 
selfish  motives  changed  into  a  good  and  generous  one  by  the  sim- 
plicity of  a  child  was  a  singular  experience. 

Fauntleroy  went  on,  still  regarding  him  with  admiring  eyes — 
those  great,  clear,  innocent  eyes ! 

"  You  make  so  many  people  happy,"  he  said.  "  There  's  Michael 
and  Bridget  and  their  ten  children,  and  the  apple-woman,  and  Dick, 
and  Mr.  Hobbs,  and  Mr.  Higgins  and  Mrs.  Higgins  and  their  chil- 
dren, and  Mr.  Mordaunt, —  because  of  course  he  was  glad, —  and 
Dearest  and  me,  about  the  pony  and  all  the  other  things.  Do  you 
know,  I  Ve  counted  it  up  on  my  fingers  and  in  my  mind,  and  it 's 
twenty-seven  people  you  've  been  kind  to.  That  's  a  good  many  — 
twenty-seven!" 

"  And  I  was  the  person  who  was  kind  to  them — was  I  ?"  said  the 
Earl. 

"  Why,  yes,  you  know,"  answered  Fauntleroy.  "You  made  them 
all  happy.  Do  you  know,"  with  some  delicate  hesitation,  "  that  people 
are  sometimes  mistaken  about  earls  when  they  don't  know  them.  Mr. 
Hobbs  was.      I  am  going  to  write  him,  and  tell  him  about  it." 

"  What  was  Mr.  Hobbs's  opinion  of  earls?"  asked  his  lordship. 

"  Well,  you  see,  the  difficulty  was,"  replied  his  young  companion, 
"  that  he  did  n't  know  any,  and  he  'd  only  read  about  them  in  books. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 09 

He  thought  —  you  must  n't  mind  it  —  that  they  were  gory  tyrants; 
and  he  said  he  would  n't  have  them  hanging  around  his  store.  But 
if  he  'd  known  you,  I  'm  sure  he  would  have  felt  quite  different.  I 
shall  tell  him  about  you." 

"What  shall  you  tell  him?" 

"  I  shall  tell  him,"  said  Fauntleroy,  glowing  with  enthusiam,  "  that 
you  are  the  kindest  man  I  ever  heard  of.  And  you  are  always 
thinking  of  other  people,  and  making  them  happy  and — and  I  hope 
when  I  grow  up,  I  shall  be  just  like  you." 

"  just  like  me ! "  repeated  his  lordship,  looking  at  the  little  kind- 
ling face.  And  a  dull  red  crept  up  under  his  withered  skin,  and  he 
suddenly  turned  his  eyes  away  and  looked  out  of  the  carriage  win- 
dow at  the  great  beech-trees,  with  the  sun  shining  on  their  glossy, 
red-brown  leaves. 

"  Just  like  you,"  said  Fauntleroy,  adding  modestly,  "  if  I  can. 
Perhaps  I  'm  not  good  enough,  but  I  'm  going  to  try." 

The  carriage  rolled  on  down  the  stately  avenue  under  the  beau- 
tiful, broad-branched  trees,  through  the  spaces  of  green  shade  and 
lanes  of  golden  sunlight.  Fauntleroy  saw  again  the  lovelv  places 
where  the  ferns  grew  high  and  the  bluebells  swayed  in  the  breeze ; 
he  saw  the  deer,  standing  or  lying  in  the  deep  grass,  turn  their 
large,  startled  eyes  as  the  carriage  passed,  and  caught  glimpses  of 
the  brown  rabbits  as  they  scurried  away.  He  heard  the  whir  of 
the  partridges  and  the  calls  and  songs  of  the  birds,  and  it  all  seemed 
even  more  beautiful  to  him  than  before.  All  his  heart  was  filled 
with  pleasure  and  happiness  in  the  beauty  that  was  on  every  side. 
But  the  old  Earl  saw  and  heard  very  different  things,  though  he  was 
apparently  looking  out  too.  He  saw  a  long  life,  in  which  there  had 
been  neither  generous  deeds  nor  kind  thoughts ;  he  saw  years  in 
which  a  man  who  had  been  young  and  strong  and  rich  and  power- 
ful had  used  his  youth  and  strength  and  wealth  and  power  only  to 


HO  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

please  himself  and  kill  time  as  the  days  and  years  succeeded  each 
other ;  he  saw  this  man,  when  the  time  had  been  killed  and  old  age 
had  come,  solitary  and  without  real  friends  in  the  midst  of  all  his 
splendid  wealth ;  he  saw  people  who  disliked  or  feared  him,  and 
people  who  would  flatter  and  cringe  to  him,  but  no  one  who  really 
cared  whether  he  lived  or  died,  unless  they  had  something  to  gain 
or  lose  by  it.  He  looked  out  on  the  broad  acres  which  belonged  to 
him,  and  he  knew  what  Fauntleroy  did  not  —  how  far  they  extended, 
what  wealth  they  represented,  and  how  many  people  had  homes  on 
their  soil.  And  he  knew,  too, —  another  thing  Fauntleroy  did  not, — 
that  in  all  those  homes,  humble  or  well-to-do,  there  was  probably 
not  one  person,  however  much  he  envied  the  wealth  and  stately 
name  and  power,  and  however  willing  he  would  have  been  to  possess 
them,  who  would  for  an  instant  have  thought  of  calling  the  noble 
owner  "good,"  or  wishing,  as  this  simple-souled  little  boy  had,  to 
be  like  him. 

And  it  was  not  exactly  pleasant  to  reflect  upon,  even  for  a  cyni- 
cal, worldly  old  man,  who  had  been  sufficient  unto  himself  for  sev- 
enty years  and  who  had  never  deigned  to  care  what  opinion  the 
world  held  of  him  so  long  as  it  did  not  interfere  with  his  comfort 
or  entertainment.  And  the  fact  was,  indeed,  that  he  had  never 
before  condescended  to  reflect  upon  it  at  all ;  and  he  only  did  so  now 
because  a  child  had  believed  him  better  than  he  was,  and  by  wishing 
to  follow  in  his  illustrious  footsteps  and  imitate  his  example,  had 
suggested  to  him  the  curious  question  whether  he  was  exactly  the 
person  to  take  as  a  model. 

Fauntleroy  thought  the  Earl's  foot  must  be  hurting  him,  his 
brows  knitted  themselves  together  so,  as  he  looked  out  at  the  park ; 
and  thinking  this,  the  considerate  little  fellow  tried  not  to  disturb 
him,  and  enjoyed  the  trees  and  the  ferns  and  the  deer  in  silence. 
But   at   last    the    carriage,    having   passed   the   gates    and    bowled 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  Ill 

through  the  green  lanes  for  a  short  distance,  stopped.     They  had 
reached   Court  Lodge ;   and  Fauntleroy  was  out  upon  the  ground 
almost  before  the  big  footman  had  time  to  open  the  carriage  door. 
The  Earl  wakened  from  his  reverie  with  a  start. 

"  What !  "  he  said.      "  Are  we  here  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said   Fauntleroy.      "  Let  me  give  you  your  stick.     Just 
lean  on  me  when  you  get  out." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  get  out,"  replied  his  lordship  brusquely. 

"Not — not  to  see  Dearest?"  exclaimed  Fauntleroy  with  aston- 
ished face. 

"  '  Dearest'  will  excuse  me,"  said  the  Earl  dryly.      "  Go  to  her 
and  tell  her  that  not  even  a  new  pony  would  keep  you  away." 

"  She  will  be  disappointed,"  said  Fauntleroy.      "  She  will  want  to 
see  you  very  much." 

"  I  am  afraid  not,"  was  the  answer.      "  The  carriage  will  call  for 
you  as  we  come  back. — Tell  Jeffries  to  drive  on,  Thomas." 

Thomas  closed  the  carriage  door  ;  and,  after  a  puzzled  look, 
Fauntleroy  ran  up  the  drive.  The  Earl  had  the  opportunity — as 
Mr.  Havisham  once  had — of  seeing  a  pair  of  handsome,  strong  lit- 
tle legs  flash  over  the  ground  with  astonishing  rapidity.  Evidently 
their  owner  had  no  intention  of  losing  any  time.  The  carriage 
rolled  slowly  away,  but  his  lordship  did  not  at  once  lean  back ;  he 
still  looked  out.  Through  a  space  in  the  trees  he  could  see  the 
house  door ;  it  was  wide  open.  The  little  figure  dashed  up  the 
steps  ;  another  figure — a  little  figure,  too,  slender  and  young,  in  its 
black  gown — ran  to  meet  it.  It  seemed  as  if  they  flew  together, 
as  Fauntleroy  leaped  into  his  mother's  arms,  hanging  about  her 
neck  and  covering  her  sweet  young  face  with  kisses. 


VII 

On  the  following  Sunday  morning,  Mr.  Mordaunt  had  a  large 
congregation.  Indeed,  he  could  scarcely  remember  any 
Sunday  on  which  the  church  had  been  so  crowded.  People 
appeared  upon  the  scene  who  seldom  did  him  the  honor  of  coming  to 
hear  his  sermons.  There  were  even  people  from  Hazelton,  which  was 
the  next  parish.  There  were  hearty,  sunburned  farmers,  stout,  comfort- 
able, apple-cheeked  wives  in  their  best  bonnets  and  most  gorgeous 
shawls,  and  half  a  dozen  children  or  so  to  each  family.  The  doctor's 
wife  was  there,  with  her  four  daughters.  Mrs.  Kimsey  and  Mr.  Kimsey, 
who  kept  the  druggist's  shop,  and  made  pills,  and  did  up  powders 
for  everybody  within  ten  miles,  sat  in  their  pew ;  Mrs.  Dibble  in 
hers;  Miss  Smiff,  the  village  dressmaker,  and  her  friend  Miss  Perkins, 
the  milliner,  sat  in  theirs ;  the  doctor's  young  man  was  present,  and 
the  druggist's  apprentice ;  in  fact,  almost  every  family  on  the 
county  side  was  represented,  in  one  way  or  another. 

In  the  course  of  the  preceding  week,  many  wonderful  stories  had 
been  told  of  little  Lord  Fauntleroy.  Mrs.  Dibble  had  been  kept  so 
busy  attending  to  customers  who  came  in  to  buy  a  pennyworth  of 
needles  or  a  ha'porth  of  tape  and  to  hear  what  she  had  to  relate,  that 
the  little  shop  bell  over  the  door  had  nearly  tinkled  itself  to  death 
over  the  coming  and  going.  Mrs.  Dibble  knew  exactly  how  his 
small  lordship's  rooms  had  been  furnished  for  him,  what  expensive 
toys  had  been  bought,  how  there  was  a  beautiful  brown  pony  await- 
ing him,  and  a  small  groom  to  attend  it,  and  a  little  dog-cart,  with 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 13 

silver-mounted  harness.  And  she  could  tell,  too,  what  all  the  ser- 
vants had  said  when  they  had  caught  glimpses  of  the  child  on  the 
night  of  his  arrival ;  and  how  every  female  below  stairs  had  said 
it  was  a  shame,  so  it  was,  to  part  the  poor  pretty  dear  from  his 
mother ;  and  had  all  declared  their  hearts  came  into  their  mouths 
when  he  went  alone  into  the  library  to  see  his  grandfather,  for 
"  there  was  no  knowing  how  he  'd  be  treated,  and  his  lordship's 
temper  was  enough  to  fluster  them  with  old  heads  on  their 
shoulders,  let  alone  a  child." 

"  But  if  you  '11  believe  me,  Mrs.  Jennifer,  mum,"  Mrs.  Dibble 
had  said,  "fear  that  child  does  not  know  —  so  Mr.  Thomas  hisself 
says;  an'  set  an'  smile  he  did,  an'  talked  to  his  lordship  as  if 
they  'd  been  friends  ever  since  his  first  hour.  An'  the  Earl  so 
took  aback,  Mr.  Thomas  says,  that  he  could  n't  do  nothing  but 
listen  and  stare  from  under  his  eyebrows.  An'  it  's  Mr.  Thomas's 
opinion,  Mrs.  Bates,  mum,  that  bad  as  he  is,  he  was  pleased  in  his 
secret  soul,  an'  proud,  too ;  for  a  handsomer  little  fellow,  or  with 
better  manners,  though  so  old-fashioned,  Mr.  Thomas  says  he  'd 
never  wish  to  see." 

And  then  there  had  come  the  story  of  Higgins.  The  Reverend 
Mr.  Mordaunt  had  told  it  at  his  own  dinner  table,  and  the  servants 
who  had  heard  it  had  told  it  in  the  kitchen,  and  from  there  it  had 
spread  like  wildfire. 

And  on  market-day,  when  Higgins  had  appeared  in  town,  he 
had  been  questioned  on  every  side,  and  Newick  had  been  questioned 
too,  and  in  response  had  shown  to  two  or  three  people  the  note 
signed  "  Fauntleroy." 

And  so  the  farmers'  wives  had  found  plenty  to  talk  of  over  their 
tea  and  their  shopping,  and  they  had  done  the  subject  full  justice  and 
made  the  most  of  it.  And  on  Sunday  they  had  either  walked  to 
church   or  had   been   driven   in  their  gigs   by  their  husbands,  who 


114  LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


were  perhaps  a  trifle  curious  themselves  about  the  new  little  lord 
who  was  to  be  in  time  the  owner  of  the  soil. 

It  was  by  no  means  the  Earl's  habit  to  attend  church,  but  he 
chose  to  appear  on  this  .first  Sunday  —  it  was  his  whim  to  present 
himself  in  the  huge  family  pew,  with  Fauntleroy  at  his  side. 

There  were  many  loiterers  in  the  churchyard,  and  many  lin- 
gerers in  the  lane  that  morning.  There  were  groups  at  the  gates  and 
in  the  porch,  and  there  had  been  much  discussion  as  to  whether  my 
lord  would  really  appear  or  not.  When  this  discussion  was  at  its 
height,  one  good  woman  suddenly  uttered  an  exclamation. 

"  Eh,"  she  said,    "that  must  be  the  mother,  pretty  young  thing." 

All  who  heard  turned  and  looked  at  the  slender  figure  in  black 
coming  up  the  path.  The  veil  was  thrown  back  from  her  face  and 
they  could  see  how  fair  and  sweet  it  was,  and  how  the  bright  hair 
curled  as  softly  as  a  child's  under  the  little  widow's  cap. 

She  was  not  thinking  of  the  people  about ;  she  was  thinking  of 
Cedric,  and  of  his  visits  to  her,  and  his  joy  over  his  new  pony,  on 
which  he  had  actually  ridden  to  her  door  the  day  before,  sitting  very 
straight  and  looking  very  proud  and  happy.  But  soon  she  could 
not  help  being  attracted  by  the  fact  that  she  was  being  looked  at 
and  that  her  arrival  had  created  some  sort  of  sensation.  She  first 
noticed  it  because  an  old  woman  in  a  red  cloak  made  a  bobbing 
courtesy  to  her,  and  then  another  did  the  same  thing  and  said,  "  God 
bless  you,  my  lady  !  "  and  one  man  after  another  took  off  his  hat  as  she 
passed.  For  a  moment  she  did  not  understand,  and  then  she  real- 
ized that  it  was  because  she  was  little  Lord  Fauntleroy's  mother  that 
they  did  so,  and  she  flushed  rather  shyly  and  smiled  and  bowed  too, 
and  said,  "  Thank  you,"  in  a  gentle  voice  to  the  old  woman  who 
had  blessed  her.  To  a  person  who  had  always  lived  in  a  bustling, 
crowded  American  city  this  simple  deference  was  very  novel,  and  at 
first  just  a  little  embarrassing;   but  after  all,  she  could  not  help  lik- 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  11$ 

ing  and  being  touched  by  the  friendly  warm-heartedness  of  which  it 
seemed  to  speak.  She  had  scarcely  passed  through  the  stone  porch 
into  the  church  before  the  great  event  of  the  day  happened.  The 
carriage  from  the  Castle,  with  its  handsome  horses  and  tall  liveried 
servants,  bowled  around  the  corner  and  down  the  green  lane. 

"  Here  they  come !  "  went  from  one  looker-on  to  another. 
And  then  the  carriage  drew  up,  and  Thomas  stepped  down  and 
opened  the  door,  and  a  little  boy,  dressed  in  black  velvet,  and  with 
a  splendid  mop  of  bright  waving  hair,  jumped  out. 

Every  man,  woman,  and  child  looked  curiously  upon  him. 

"  He  's  the  Captain  over  again !  "  said  those  of  the  on-lookers 
who  remembered  his  father.  "  He  's  the  Captain's  self,  to  the  life !" 
He  stood  there  in  the  sunlight  looking  up  at  the  Earl,  as 
Thomas  helped  that  nobleman  out,  with  the  most  affectionate  inter- 
est that  could  be  imagined.  The  instant  he  could  help,  he  put  out 
his  hand  and  offered  his  shoulder  as  if  he  had  been  seven  feet  high. 
It  was  plain  enough  to  every  one  that  however  it  might  be  with 
other  people,  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt  struck  no  terror  into  the  breast 
of  his  grandson. 

"  Just  lean  on  me,"  they  heard  him  say.  "  How  glad  the  people 
are  to  see  you,  and  how  well  they  all  seem  to  know  you  !" 

"  Take  off  your  cap,  Fauntleroy,"  said  the  Earl.  "  They  are 
bowing  to  you." 

"  To  me  !  "  cried  Fauntleroy,  whipping  off  his  cap  in  a  moment, 
baring  his  bright  head  to  the  crowd  and  turning  shining,  puzzled 
eyes  on  them  as  he  tried  to  bow  to  every  one  at  once. 

"  God  bless  your  lordship  !  "  said  the  courtesying,  red-cloaked  old 
woman  who  had  spoken  to  his  mother  ;    "long  life  to  you  !  " 

"  Thank  you,  ma'am,"  said  Fauntleroy.  And  then  they  went  into 
the  church,  and  were  looked  at  there,  on  their  way  up  the  aisle  to 
the  square,  red-cushioned  and  curtained  pew.     When  Fauntleroy  was 


n6 


LITTLE   LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


fairly  seated,  he  made  two  discoveries  which  pleased  him  :  the  first 
that,  across  the  church  where  he  could  look  at  her,  his  mother  sat 
and  smiled  at  him ;  the  second,  that  at  one  end  of  the  pew,  against 
the  wall,  knelt  two  quaint  figures  carven  in  stone,  facing  each  other 
as  they  kneeled  on  either  side  of  a  pillar  supporting  two  stone 
missals,  their  pointed  hands  folded  as  if  in  prayer,  their  dress  very 
antique  and  strange.      On  the  tablet  by  them  was  written  something 

of  which   he   could   only   read 
the  curious  words : 

"  Here  lyeth  ye  bodye  of 
Gregorye  Arthure  Fyrst  Earle 
of  Dorincourt  Allsoe  of  Ali- 
sone  Hildegarde  hys  wyfe." 

"  May  I  whisper?"  inquired 
his  lordship,  devoured  by 
curiosity. 

"What  is  it?"  said  his 
grandfather. 

"  Who  are  they  ?  " 
"  Some  of  your  ancestors,'* 
answered  the  Earl,  "who  lived 
a  few  hundred  years  ago." 
"  Perhaps,"  said  Lord  Fauntleroy,  regarding  them  with  respect, 
"  perhaps  I  got  my  spelling  from  them."  And  then  he  proceeded 
to  find  his  place  in  the  church  service.  When  the  music  began,  he 
stood  up  and  looked  across  at  his  mother,  smiling.  He  was  very 
fond  of  music,  and  his  mother  and  he  often  sang  together,  so  he 
joined  in  with  the  rest,  his  pure,  sweet,  high  voice  rising  as  clear  as 
the  song  of  a  bird.  He  quite  forgot  himself  in  his  pleasure  in  it. 
The  Earl  forgot  himself  a  little  too,  as  he  sat  in  his  curtain-shielded 
corner  of  the  pew   and  watched  the   boy.      Cedric  stood  with  the 


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it' 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  117 


big  psalter  open  in  his  hands,  singing  with  all  his  childish  might, 
his  face  a  little  uplifted,  happily ;  and  as  he  sang,  a  long  ray  of  sun- 
shine crept  in  and,  slanting  through  a  golden  pane  of  a  stained  glass 
window,  brightened  the  falling  hair  about  his  young  head.  His 
mother,  as  she  looked  at  him  across  the  church,  felt  a  thrill  pass 
through  her  heart,  and  a  prayer  rose  in  it  too, — a  prayer  that  the 
pure,  simple  happiness  of  his  childish  soul  might  last,  and  that  the 
strange,  great  fortune  which  had  fallen  to  him  might  bring  no  wrong 
or  evil  with  it.  There  were  many  soft,  anxious  thoughts  in  her  ten- 
der heart  in  those  new  days. 

"  Oh,  Ceddie ! "  she  had  said  to  him  the  evening  before,  as  she 
hung  over  him  in  saying  good-night,  before  he  went  away;  "oh, 
Ceddie,  dear,  I  wish  for  your  sake  I  was  very  clever  and  could  say 
a  great  many  wise  things !  But  only  be  good,  dear,  only  be  brave, 
only  be  kind  and  true  always,  and  then  you  will  never  hurt  any  one, 
so  long  as  you  live,  and  you  may  help  many,  and  the  big  world  may 
be  better  because  my  little  child  was  born.  And  that  is  best  of  all, 
Ceddie, — it  is  better  than  everything  else,  that  the  world  should  be 
a  little  better  because  a  man  has  lived — even  ever  so  little  better, 
dearest." 

And  on  his  return  to  the  Castle,  Fauntleroy  had  repeated  her 
words  to  his  grandfather. 

"  And  I  thought  about  you  when  she  said  that,"  he  ended ;  "and 
I  told  her  that  was  the  way  the  world  was  because  you  had  lived, 
and  I  was  going  to  try  if  I  could  be  like  you." 

"And  what  did  she  say  to  that?"  asked  his  lordship,  a  trifle 
uneasily. 

"  She  said  that  was  right,  and  we  must  always  look  for  good  in 
people  and  try  to  be  like  it." 

Perhaps   it  was  this  the  old   man  remembered  as  he  glanced 
through   the   divided   folds   of  the    red   curtain   of  his  pew.      Many 


n8 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


times  he  looked  over  the  people's  heads  to  where  his  son's  wife  sat 
alone,  and  he  saw  the  fair  face  the  unforgiven  dead  had  loved,  and 
the  eyes  which  were  so  like  those  of  the  child  at  his  side ;  but  what 


"  I  'VE   A   GREAT   DEAL   TO   THANK   YOUR   LORDSHIP    FOR,"    SAID    HIGGINS. 

his  thoughts  were,  and  whether  they  were  hard  and  bitter,  or  soft- 
ened a  little,  it  would  have  been  hard  to  discover. 

As  they  came  out  of  church,  many  of  those  who  had  attended 
the  service  stood  waiting  to    see  them  pass.      As  they  neared  the 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  1 19 

gate,  a  man  who  stood  with  his  hat  in  his  hand  made  a  step  forward 
and  then  hesitated.  He  was  a  middle-aged  farmer,  with  a  careworn 
face. 

"  Well,  Higgins,"  said  the  Earl. 
Fauntleroy  turned  quickly  to  look  at  him. 

"  Oh  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  is  it  Mr.  Higgins  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  Earl  dryly  ;  "  and  I  suppose  he  came  to 
take  a  look  at  his  new  landlord." 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  said  the  man,  his  sunburned  face  reddening. 
"  Mr.  Newick  told  me  his  young  lordship  was  kind  enough  to  speak 
for  me,  and  I  thought  I  'd  like  to  say  a  word  of  thanks,  if  I  might 
be  allowed." 

Perhaps  he  felt  some  wonder  when  he  saw  what  a  little  fellow  it 
was  who  had  innocently  done  so  much  for  him,  and  who  stood  there 
looking  up  just  as  one  of  his  own  less  fortunate  children  might  have 
done — apparently  not  realizing  his  own  importance  in  the  least. 

"  I  've  a  great  deal  to  thank  your  lordship  for,"  he  said  ;  "  a  great 
deal.     I " 

"Oh,"  said  Fauntleroy;  "I  only  wrote  the  letter.  It  was  my 
grandfather  who  did  it.  But  you  know  how  he  is  about  always 
being  good  to  everybody.    .  Is  Mrs.  Higgins  well  now  ?  " 

Higfoqns  looked  a  trifle  taken  aback.  He  also  was  somewhat 
startled  at  hearing  his  noble  landlord  presented  in  the  character  of  a 
benevolent  being,  full  of  engaging  qualities. 

"I — well,  yes,  your  lordship,"  he  stammered,  "the  missus  is 
better  since  the  trouble  was  took  off  her  mind.  It  was  worrying 
broke  her  down." 

"  I  'm  glad  of  that,"  said  Fauntleroy.  "  My  grandfather  was 
very  sorry  about  your  children  having  the  scarlet  fever,  and  so 
was  I.  He  has  had  children  himself.  I  'm  his  son's  little  boy, 
you  know." 


120  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

Higgins  was  on  the  verge  of  being  panic-stricken.  He  felt  it 
would  be  the  safer  and  more  discreet  plan  not  to  look  at  the  Earl,  as 
it  had  been  well  known  that  his  fatherly  affection  for  his  sons  had  been 
such  that  he  had  seen  them  about  twice  a  year,  and  that  when  they 
had  been  ill,  he  had  promptly  departed  for  London,  because  he 
would  not  be  bored  with  doctors  and  nurses.  It  was  a  little  try- 
ing, therefore,  to  his  lordship's  nerves  to  be  told,  while  he  looked  on, 
his  eyes  gleaming  from  under  his  shaggy  eyebrows,  that  he  felt  an 
interest  in  scarlet  fever. 

"  You  see,  Higgins,"  broke  in  the  Earl  with  a  fine  grim  smile, 
"'you  people  have  been  mistaken  in  me.  Lord  Fauntleroy  under- 
stands me.  When  you  want  reliable  information  on  the  subject  of 
my  character,  apply  to  him.    Get  into  the  carriage,  Fauntleroy." 

And  Fauntleroy  jumped  in,  and  the  carriage  rolled  away  down 
the  green  lane,  and  even  when  it  turned  the  corner  into  the  high 
road,  the  Earl  was  still  grimly  smiling. 


VIII 

Iord  Dorincourt  had  occasion  to  wear  his  grim  smile  many  a 
time  as  the  days  passed  by.  Indeed,  as  his  acquaintance  with 
— •*  his  grandson  progressed,  he  wore  the  smile  so  often  that  there 
were  moments  when  it  almost  lost  its  grimness.  There  is  no  deny- 
ing that  before  Lord  Fauntleroy  had  appeared  on  the  scene,  the  old 
man  had  been  growing  very  tired  of  his  loneliness  and  his  gout  and 
his  seventy  years.  After  so  long  a  life  of  excitement  and  amuse- 
ment, it  was  not  agreeable  to  sit  alone  even  in  the  most  splendid 
room,  with  one  foot  on  a  gout-stool,  and  with  no  other  diversion 
than  flying  into  a  rage,  and  shouting  at  a  frightened  footman  who 
hated  the  sight  of  him.  The  old  Earl  was  too  clever  a  man  not  to 
know  perfectly  well  that  his  servants  detested  him,  and  that  even  if 
he  had  visitors,  they  did  not  come  for  love  of  him  —  though  some 
found  a  sort  of  amusement  in  his  sharp,  sarcastic  talk,  which  spared 
no  one.  So  long  as  he  had  been  strong  and  well,  he  had  gone  from 
one  place  to  another,  pretending  to  amuse  himself,  though  he  had 
not  really  enjoyed  it ;  and  when  his  health  began  to  fail,  he  felt  tired 
of  everything  and  shut  himself  up  at  Dorincourt,  with  his  gout  and 
his  newspapers  and  his  books.  But  he  could  not  read  all  the  time, 
and  he  became  more  and  more  "bored,"  as  he  called  it.  He  hated 
the  long  nights  and  days,  and  he  grew  more  and  more  savage  and 
irritable.  And  then  Fauntleroy  came ;  and  when  the  Earl  saw 
him,  fortunately  for  the  little  fellow,  the  secret  pride  of  the  grand- 
father was  gratified  at  the  outset.      If  Cedric  had  been  a  less  hand- 


122  LITTLE  LORD  EAUNTLEROY. 


some  little  fellow,  the  old  man  might  have  taken  so  strong  a  dislike 
to  him  that  he  would  not  have  given  himself  the  chance  to  see 
his  grandson's  finer  qualities.  But  he  chose  to  think  that  Cedric's 
beauty  and  fearless  spirit'  were  the  results  of  the  Dorincourt  blood 
and  a  credit  to  the  Dorincourt  rank.  And  then  when  he  heard  the 
lad  talk,  and  saw  what  a  well-bred  little  fellow  he  was,  notwithstand- 
ing his  boyish  ignorance  cf  all  that  his  new  position  meant,  the  old 
Earl  liked  his  grandson  more,  and  actually  began  to  find  himself 
rather  entertained.  It  had  amused  him  to  give  into  those  childish 
hands  the  power  to  bestow  a  benefit  on  poor  Higgins.  My  lord 
cared  nothing  for  poor  Higgins,  but  it  pleased  him  a  little  to 
think  that  his  grandson  would  be  talked  about  by  the  country 
people  and  would  begin  to  be  popular  with  the  tenantry,  even 
in  his  childhood.  Then  it  had  gratified  him  to  drive  to  church 
with  Cedric  and  to  see  the  excitement  and  interest  caused  by  the 
arrival.  He  knew  how  the  people  would  speak  of  the  beauty  of  the 
little  lad ;  of  his  fine,  strong,  straight  body ;  of  his  erect  bear- 
ing, his  handsome  face,  and  his  bright  hair,  and  how  they  would  say 
(as  the  Earl  had  heard  one  woman  exclaim  to  another)  that  the  boy 
was  "every  inch  a  lord."  My  lord  of  Dorincourt  was  an  arrogant 
old  man,  proud  of  his  name,  proud  of  his  rank,  and  therefore  proud 
to  show  the  world  that  at  last  the  House  of  Dorincourt  had  an  heir 
who  was  worthy  of  the  position  he  was  to  fill. 

The  morning  the  new  pony  had  been  tried,  the  Earl  had  been 
so  pleased  that  he  had  almost  forgotten  his  gout.  When  the  groom 
had  brought  out  the  pretty  creature,  which  arched  its  brown,  glossy 
neck  and  tossed  its  fine  head  in  the  sun,  the  Earl  had  sat  at  the  open 
window  of  the  library  and  had  looked  on  while  Fauntleroy  took  his 
first  riding  lesson.  He  wondered  if  the  boy  would  show  signs  of 
timidity.  It  was  not  a  very  small  pony,  and  he  had  often  seen 
children  lose  courage  in  making  their  first  essay  at  riding. 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  I  23 

Fauntleroy  mounted  in  great  delight.  He  had  never  been  on 
a  pony  before,  and  he  was  in  the  highest  spirits.  Wilkins,  the 
groom,  led  the  animal  by  the  bridle  up  and  down  before  the  library 
window. 

"  He  's  a  well  plucked  un,  he  is,"  Wilkins  remarked  in  the  stable 
afterward  with  many  grins.  "  It  were  n't  no  trouble  to  put  him  up. 
An'  a  old  un  would  n't  ha'  sat  any  straighter  when  he  were  up.  He 
ses  —  ses  he  to  me,  'Wilkins,'  he  ses,  'am  I  sitting  up  straight? 
They  sit  up  straight  at  the  circus,'  ses  he.  An'  I  ses,  '  As  straight 
as  a  arrer,  your  lordship  ! ' —  an'  he  laughs,  as  pleased  as  could  be, 
an'  he  ses,  'That  's  right,'  he  ses,  'you  tell  me  if  I  don't  sit  up 
straight,  Wilkins  ! '  " 

But  sitting  up  straight  and  being  led  at  a  walk  were  not 
altogether  and  completely  satisfactory.  After  a  few  minutes,  Faunt- 
leroy spoke  to  his  grandfather —  watching  him  from  the  window: 

"  Can't  I  go  by  myself?"  he  asked;  "and  can't  I  go  faster?  The 
boy  on  Fifth  Avenue  used  to  trot  and  canter ! " 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  trot  and  canter  ?  "  said  the  Earl. 

"  I  should  like  to  try,"  answered  Fauntleroy. 
His  lordship  made  a  sign  to  Wilkins,  who  at  the  signal  brought 
up  his  own  horse  and  mounted  it  and  took  Fauntleroy's  pony  by  the 
leading-rein. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Earl,  "let  him  trot." 
The  next  few  minutes  were  rather  exciting  to  the  small  eques- 
trian.   He  found  that  trotting  was  not  so  easy  as  walking,  and  the 
faster  the  pony  trotted,  the  less  easy  it  was. 

"It  j -jolts  a  g-goo-good  deal — do-does  n't  it?"  he  said  to 
Wilkins.     "  D-does  it  j-jolt  y-you  ?  " 

"  No,  my  lord,"  answered  Wilkins.  "  You  '11  get  used  to  it  in 
time.      Rise  in  your  stirrups." 

u  I  'm  ri-rising  all  the  t-time,"  said  Fauntleroy. 


124  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

He  was  both  rising  and  falling  rather  uncomfortably  and  with 
many  shakes  and  bounces.  He  was  out  of  breath  and  his  face  grew 
red,  but  he  held  on  with  all  his  might,  and  sat  as  straight  as  he 
could.  The  Earl  could  see  that  from  his  window.  When  the  riders 
came  back  within  speaking  distance,  after  they  had  been  hidden  by 
the  trees  a  few  minutes,  Fauntleroy's  hat  was  off,  his  cheeks  were 
like  poppies,  and  his  lips  were  set,  but  he  was  still  trotting  manfully. 

"  Stop  a  minute  !  "  said  his  grandfather.    "  Where  's  your  hat? " 
Wilkins  touched  his.    "  It  fell  off,  your  lordship,"  he  said,  with 
evident  enjoyment.    "  Would  n't  let  me  stop  to  pick  it  up,  my  lord." 

"  Not  much  afraid,  is  he?"  asked  the  Earl  dryly. 

"  Him,  your  lordship  !  "  exclaimed  Wilkins.  "  I  should  n't  say  as 
he  knowed  what  it  meant.  I  Ve  taught  young  gen'lemen  to  ride 
afore,  an'  I  never  see  one  stick  on  more  determinder." 

"  Tired  ?  "  said  the  Earl  to  Fauntleroy.      "  Want  to  get  off?  " 

"  It  jolts  you  more  than  you  think  it  will,"  admitted  his  young 
lordship  frankly.  "And  it  tires  you  a  little,  too;  but  I  don't  want 
to  get  off.  I  want  to  learn  how.  As  soon  as  I  've  got  my  breath  I 
want  to  8fo  back  for  the  hat." 

The  cleverest  person  in  the  world,  if  he  had  undertaken  to 
teach  Fauntleroy  how  to  please  the  old  man  who  watched  him,  could 
not  have  taught  him  anything  which  would  have  succeeded  better. 
As  the  pony  trotted  off  again  toward  the  avenue,  a  faint  color  crept 
up  in  the  fierce  old  face,  and  the  eyes,  under  the  shaggy  brows, 
gleamed  with  a  pleasure  such  as  his  lordship  had  scarcely  expected 
to  know  again.  And  he  sat  and  watched  quite  eagerly  until  the 
sound  of  the  horses'  hoofs  returned.  When  they  did  come,  which 
was  after  some  time,  they  came  at  a  faster  pace.  Fauntleroy's  hat 
was  still  off;  Wilkins  was  carrying  it  for  him ;  his  cheeks  were  red- 
der than  before,  and  his  hair  was  flying  about  his  ears,  but  he  came 
at  quite  a  brisk  canter. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 27 

"  There  !  "  he  panted,  as  they  drew  up,  "I  c-cantered.  I  did  n't  do 
it  as  well  as  the  boy  on  Fifth  Avenue,  but  I  did  it,  and  I  staid  on !  " 
He  and  Wilkins  and  the  pony  were  close  friends  after  that. 
Scarcely  a  day  passed  in  which  the  country  people  did  not  see  them 
out  together,  cantering  gayly  on  the  highroad  or  through  the  green 
lanes.  The  children  in  the  cottages  would  run  to  the  door  to  look 
at  the  proud  little  brown  pony  with  the  gallant  little  figure  sitting  so 
straight  in  the  saddle,  and  the  young  lord  would  snatch  off  his  cap 
and  swing  it  at  them,  and  shout,  "  Hullo  !  Good-morning ! "  in  a 
very  unlordly  manner,  though  with  great  heartiness.  Sometimes  he 
would  stop  and  talk  with  the  children,  and  once  Wilkins  came  back 
to  the  castle  with  a  story  of  how  Fauntleroy  had  insisted  on  dis- 
mounting near  the  village  school,  so  that  a  boy  who  was  lame  and 
tired  might  ride  home  on  his  pony. 

"  An'  I  'm  blessed,"  said  Wilkins,  in  telling  the  story  at  the 
stables, — "  I  'm  blessed  if  he  'd  hear  of  anything  else!  He  would 
n't  let  me  get  down,  because  he  said  the  boy  might  n't  feel  comfort- 
able on  a  big  horse.  An'  ses  he,  'Wilkins,'  ses  he,  'that  boy  's  lame 
and  I  'm  not,  and  I  want  to  talk  to  him,  too.'  And  up  the  lad  has  to 
get,  and  my  lord  trudges  alongside  of  him  with  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  and  his  cap  on  the  back  of  his  head,  a- whistling  and  talking 
as  easy  as  you  please  !  And  when  we  come  to  the  cottage,  an'  the 
boy's  mother  come  out  all  in  a  taking  to  see  what 's  up,  he  whips 
off  his  cap  an'  ses  he,  '  I  've  brought  your  son  home,  ma'am,'  ses  he, 
'because  his  leg  hurt  him,  and  I  don't  think  that  stick  is  enough  for 
him  to  lean  on  ;  and  I  'm  going  to  ask  my  grandfather  to  have  a  pair 
of  crutches  made  for  him.'  An'  I  'm  blessed  if,  the  woman  was  n't 
struck  all  of  a  heap,  as  well  she  might  be  !  I  thought  I  should  'a' 
hex-plodid,  myself!  " 

When  the  Earl  heard  the  story  he  was  not  angry,  as  Wilkins 
had  been  half  afraid  that  he  would  be ;  on  the  contrary,  he  laughed 


128  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

outright,  and  called  Fauntleroy  up  to  him,  and  made  him  tell  all  about 
the  matter  from  beginning  to  end,  and  then  he  laughed  again.  And 
actually,  a  few  days  later,  the  Dorincourt  carriage  stopped  in  the 
green  lane  before  the  cottage  where  the  lame  boy  lived,  and  Faunt- 
leroy jumped  out  and  walked  up  to  the  door,  carrying  a  pair  of 
strong,  light,  new  crutches  shouldered  like  a  gun,  and  presented 
them  to  Mrs.  Hartle  (the  lame  boy's  name  was  Hartle)  with  these 
words:  "My  grandfather's  compliments,  and  if  you  please,  these 
are  for  your  boy,  and  we  hope  he  will  get  better." 

"  I  said  your  compliments,"  he  explained  to  the  Earl  when  he 
returned  to  the  carriage.  "You  did  n't  tell  me  to,  but  I  thought 
perhaps  you  forgot.     That  was  right,  was  n't  it  ?  " 

And  the  Earl  laughed  again,  and  did  not  say  it  was  not.  In 
fact,  the  two  were  becoming  more  intimate  every  day,  and  every 
day  Fauntleroy's  faith  in  his  lordship's  benevolence  and  virtue  in- 
creased. He  had  no  doubt  whatever  that  his  grandfather  was  the 
most  amiable  and  generous  of  elderly  gentlemen.  Certainly,  he 
himself  found  his  wishes  gratified  almost  before  they  were  uttered ; 
and  such  gifts  and  pleasures  were  lavished  upon  him,  that  he  was 
sometimes  almost  bewildered  by  his  own  possessions.  Apparently, 
he  was  to  have  everything  he  wanted,  and  to  do  everything  he 
wished  to  do.  And  though  this  would  certainly  not  have  been  a 
very  wise  plan  to  pursue  with  all  small  boys,  his  young  lordship 
bore  it  amazingly  well.  Perhaps,  notwithstanding  his  sweet  nature, 
he  might  have  been  somewhat  spoiled  by  it,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  hours  he  spent  with  his  mother  at  Court  Lodge.  That  "  best 
friend "  of  his  watched  over  him  over  closely  and  tenderly.  The 
two  had  many  long  talks  together,  and  he  never  went  back  to  the 
Castle  with  her  kisses  on  his  cheeks  without  carrying  in  his  heart 
some  simple,  pure  words  worth  remembering. 

There  was  one  thing,  it  is  true,  which  puzzled  the  little  fellow 
very  much.      He  thought  over  the  mystery  of  it  much  oftener  than 


-r-"<| 


(UP  THE  LAD   HAS  TO   GET,  AND   MY  LORD   TRUDGES  ALONGSIDE   OF   HIM  WITH   HIS   HANDS 

IN  HIS  POCKETS." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  131 

any  one  supposed  ;  even  his  mother  did  not  know  how  often  he  pon- 
dered on  it;  the  Earl  for  a  long  time  never  suspected  that  he  did 
so  at  all.  But,  being  quick  to  observe,  the  little  boy  could  not  help 
wondering  why  it  was  that  his  mother  and  grandfather  never  seemed 
to  meet.  He  had  noticed  that  they  never  did  meet.  When  the  Dorin- 
court  carriage  stopped  at  Court  Lodge,  the  Earl  never  alighted,  and 
on  the  rare  occasions  of  his  lordship's  going  to  church,  Fauntleroy  was 
always  left  to  speak  to  his  mother  in  the  porch  alone,  or  perhaps 
to  go  home  with  her.  And  yet,  every  day,  fruit  and  flowers  were  sent 
to  Court  Lodge  from  the  hot-houses  at  the  Castle.  But  the  one  vir- 
tuous action  of  the  Earl's  which  had  set  him  upon  the  pinnacle  of 
perfection  in  Cedric's  eyes,  was  what  he  had  done  soon  after  that  first 
Sunday  when  Mrs.  Errol  had  walked  home  from  church  unattended. 
About  a  week  later,  when  Cedric  was  going  one  day  to  visit  his 
mother,  he  found  at  the  door,  instead  of  the  large  carriage  and 
prancing  pair,  a  pretty  little  brougham  and  a  handsome  bay  horse. 

"  That  is  a  present  from  you  to  your  mother,"  the  Earl  said 
abruptly.  "  She  can  not  go  walking  about  the  country.  She  needs 
a  carriage.  The  man  who  drives  will  take  charge  of  it.  It  is  a 
present  from  you." 

Fauntleroy's  delight  could  but  feebly  express  itself.  He  could 
scarcely  contain  himself  until  he  reached  the  lodge.  His  mother 
was  gathering  roses  in  the  garden.  He  flung  himself  out  of  the 
little  brougham  and  flew  to  her. 

"  Dearest!"  he  cried,  "could  you  believe  it?  This  is  yours!  He 
says  it  is  a  present  from  me.  It  is  your  own  carriage  to  drive  every- 
where in  ! " 

He  was  so  happy  that  she  did  not  know  what  to  say.  She 
could  not  have  borne  to  spoil  his  pleasure  by  refusing  to  accept  the 
gift  even  though  it  came  from  the  man  who  chose  to  consider  him- 
self her  enemy.  She  was  obliged  to  step  into  the  carriage,  roses 
and  all,  and  let  herself  be  taken  to  drive,  while  Fauntleroy  told  her 


132  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


stories  of  his  grandfather's  goodness  and  amiability.  They  were 
such  innocent  stories  that  sometimes  she  could  not  help  laughing  a 
little,  and  then  she  would  draw  her  little  boy  closer  to  her  side  and 
kiss  him,  feeling  glad  that  he  could  see  only  good  in  the  old  man, 
who  had  so  few  friends. 

The  very  next  day  after  that,  Fauntleroy  wrote  to  Mr.  Hobbs. 
He  wrote  quite  a  long  letter,  and  after  the  first  copy  was  written, 
he  brought  it  to  his  grandfather  to  be  inspected. 

"  Because,"  he  said,  "it  's  so  uncertain  about  the  spelling.  And 
if  you  '11  tell  me  the  mistakes,  I  '11  write  it  out  again." 

This  was  what  he  had  written : 

"  My  dear  mr  hobbs  i  want  to  tell  you  about  my  granfarther  he  is  the  best  earl 
you  ever  new  it  is  a  mistake  about  earls  being  tirents  he  is  not  a  tirent  at  all  i 
wish  you  new  him  you  would  be  good  friends  i  am  sure  you  would  he  has  the  gout 
in  his  foot  and  is  a  grate  sufrer  but  he  is  so  pashent  i  love  him  more  every  day 
becaus  no  one  could  help  loving  an  earl  like  that  who  is  kind  to  every  one  in  this 
world  i  wish  you  could  talk  to  him  he  knows  everything  in  the  world  you  can  ask 
him  any  question  but  he  has  never  plaid  base  ball  he  has  given  me  a  pony  and  a  cart 
and  my  mamma  a  bewtifle  cariage  and  I  have  three  rooms  and  toys  of  all  kinds  it 
would  serprise  you  you  would  like  the  castle  and  the  park  it  is  such  a  large  castle  you 
could  lose  yourself  wilkins  tells  me  wilkins  is  my  groom  he  says  there  is  a  dungon 
under  the  castle  it  is  so  pretty  everything  in  the  park  would  serprise  you  there  are  such 
big  trees  and  there  are  deers  and  rabbits  and  games  flying  about  in  the  cover  my 
granfarther  is  very  rich  but  he  is  not  proud  and  orty  as  you  thought  earls  always  were 
i  like  to  be  with  him  the  people  are  so  polite  and  kind  they  take  of  their  hats  to  you 
and  the  women  make  curtsies  and  sometimes  say  god  bless  you  i  can  ride  now  but  at 
first  it  shook  me  when  i  troted  my  granfarther  let  a  poor  man  stay  on  his  farm  when  he 
could  not  pay  his  rent  and  mrs  mellon  went  to  take  wine  and  things  to  his  sick  children 
i  should  like  to  see  you  and  i  wish  dearest  could  live  at  the  castle  but  i  am  very  happy 
when  i  dont  miss  her  too  much  and  i  love  my  granfarther  every  one  does  plees  write 
soon  "  your  afechshnet  old  frend 

"  Cedric  Errol 

"p  s  no  one  is  in  the  dungon  my  granfarther  never  had  any  one  langwishin  in 
there 

"  p  s     he  is  such  a  good  earl  he  reminds  me  of  you  he  is  a  unerversle  favrit." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 33 

"  Do  you  miss  your  mother  very  much  ? "  asked  the  Earl  when  he 
had  finished  reading  this. 

"  Yes,"  said  Fauntleroy,  "  I  miss  her  all  the  time." 
He  went  and  stood  before  the  Earl  and  put  his  hand  on  his 
knee,  looking  up  at  him. 

"Yon,  don't  miss  her,  do  you?"  he  said. 

"  I  don't  know  her,"  answered  his  lordship  rather  crustily. 

"  I  know  that,"  said  Fauntleroy,  "  and  that  's  what  makes  me 
wonder.  She  told  me  not  to  ask  you  any  questions,  and  —  and  I 
wont,  but  sometimes  I  can't  help  thinking,  you  krsow,  and  it  makes 
me  all  puzzled.  But  I  'm  not  going  to  ask  any  questions.  And 
when  I  miss  her  very  much,  I  go  and  look  out  of  my  window  to 
where  I  see  her  light  shine  for  me  every  night  through  an  open 
place  in  the  trees.  It  is  a  long  way  off,  but  she  puts  it  in  her 
window  as  soon  as  it  is  dark,  and  I  can  see  it  twinkle  far  away,  and  I 
know  what  it  says." 

"  What  does  it  say  ?  "  asked  my  lord. 

"  It  says,  '  Good-night,  God  keep  you  all  the  night ! ' — just  what 
she  used  to  say  when  we  were  together.  Every  night  she  used  to 
say  that  to  me,  and  every  morning  she  said,  '  God  bless  you  all  the 
day  ! '     So  you  see  I  am  quite  safe  all  the  time " 

"  Quite,  I  have  no  doubt,"  said  his  lordship  dryly.  And  he  drew 
down  his  beetling  eyebrows  and  looked  at  the  little  boy  so  fixedly 
and  so  long  that  Fauntleroy  wondered  what  he  could  be  thinking  of. 


IX 

The  tact  was,  his  lordship  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt  thought  in 
those  days,  of  many  things  of  which  he  had  never  thought  be- 
fore, and  all  his  thoughts  were  in  one  way  or  another  connected 
with  his  grandson.  His  pride  was  the  strongest  part  of  his  nature, 
and  the  boy  gratified  it  at  every  point.  Through  this  pride  he  began 
to  find  a  new  interest  in  life.  He  began  to  take  pleasure  in  showing 
his  heir  to  the  world.  The  world  had  known  of  his  disappointment 
in  his  sons ;  so  there  was  an  agreeable  touch  of  triumph  in  exhibit- 
ing this  new  Lord  Fauntleroy,  who  could  disappoint  no  one.  He 
wished  the  child  to  appreciate  his  own  power  and  to  understand  the 
splendor  of  his  position ;  he  wished  that  others  should  realize  it  too. 
He  made  plans  for  his  future.  Sometimes  in  secret  he  actually  found 
himself  wishing  that  his  own  past  life  had  been  a  better  one,  and 
that  there  had  been  less  in  it  that  this  pure,  childish  heart  would 
shrink  from  if  it  knew  the  truth.  It  was  not  agreeable  to  think  how 
the  beautiful,  innocent  face  would  look  if  its  owner  should  be  made 
by  any  chance  to  understand  that  his  grandfather  had  been  called 
for  many  a  year  "  the  wicked  Earl  of  Dorincourt."  The  thought 
even  made  him  feel  a  trifle  nervous.  He  did  not  wish  the  boy  to  find 
it  out.  Sometimes  in  this  new  interest  he  forgot  his  gout,  and  after  a 
while  his  doctor  was  surprised  to  find  his  noble  patient's  health  grow- 
ing better  than  he  had  expected  it  ever  would  be  again.  Perhaps  the 
Earl  grew  better  because  the  time  did  not  pass  so  slowly  for  him, 
and  he  had  something  to  think  of  beside  his  pains  and  infirmities. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 35 

One  fine  morning,  people  were  amazed  to  see  little  Lord  Faunt- 
leroy  riding  his  pony  with  another  companion  than  Wilkins.  This 
new  companion  rode  a  tall,  powerful  gray  horse,  and  was  no  other 
than  the  Earl  himself.  It  was,  in  fact,  Fauntleroy  who  had  sug- 
gested this  plan.  As  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  mounting  his 
pony,  he  had  said  rather  wistfully  to  his  grandfather : 

"  I  wish  you  were  going  with  me.  When  I  go  away  I  feel  lonely 
because  you  are  left  all  by  yourself  in  such  a  big  castle.  I  wish  you 
could  ride  too." 

And  the  greatest  excitement  had  been  aroused  in  the  stables  a 
few  minutes  later  by  the  arrival  of  an  order  that  Selim  was  to  be 
saddled  for  the  Earl.  After  that,  Selim  was  saddled  almost  every 
day  ;  and  the  people  became  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  the  tall  gray 
horse  carrying  the  tall  gray  old  man,  with  his  handsome,  fierce,  eagle 
face,  by  the  side  of  the  brown  pony  which  bore  little  Lord  Fauntleroy. 
And  in  their  rides  together  through  the  green  lanes  and  pretty 
country  roads,  the  two  riders  became  more  intimate  than  ever. 
And  gradually  the  old  man  heard  a  great  deal  about  "  Dearest " 
and  her  life.  As  Fauntleroy  trotted  by  the  big  horse  he  chatted 
gayly.  There  could  not  well  have  been  a  brighter  little  comrade, 
his  nature  was  so  happy.  It  was  he  who  talked  the  most.  The 
Earl  often  was  silent,  listening  and  watching  the  joyous,  glowing 
face.  Sometimes  he  would  tell  his  young  companion  to  set  the 
pony  off  at  a  gallop,  and  when  the  little  fellow  dashed  off,  sitting 
so  straight  and  fearless,  he  would  watch  him  with  a  gleam  of  pride 
and  pleasure  in  his  eyes ;  and  when,  after  such  a  dash,  Fauntleroy 
came  back  waving  his  cap  with  a  laughing  shout,  he  always  felt 
that  he  and  his  grandfather  were  very  good  friends  indeed. 

One  thing  that  the  Earl  discovered  was  that  his  son's  wife  did 
not  lead  an  idle  life.  It  was  not  long  before  he  learned  that  the 
poor  people  knew  her  very  well  indeed.     When  there  was  sickness 


136  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

or  sorrow  or  poverty  in  any  house,  the  little  brougham  often  stood 
before  the  door. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Fauntleroy  once,  "they  all  say,  '  God  bless 
you  ! '  when  they  see  her,  and  the  children  are  glad.  There  are 
some  who  go  to  her  house  to  be  taught  to  sew.  She  says  she  feels 
so  rich  now  that  she  wants  to  help  the  poor  ones/' 

It  had  not  displeased  the  Earl  to  find  that  the  mother  of  his 
heir  had  a  beautiful  young  face  and  looked  as  much  like  a  lady  as  if 
she  had  been  a  duchess ;  and  in  one  way  it  did  not  displease  him  to 
know  that  she  was  popular  and  beloved  by  the  poor.  And  yet  he 
was  often  conscious  of  a  hard,  jealous  pang  when  he  saw  how  she 
filled  her  child's  heart  and  how  the  boy  clung  to  her  as  his  best 
beloved.  The  old  man  would  have  desired  to  stand  first  himself 
and  have  no  rival. 

That  same  morning  he  drew  up  his  horse  on  an  elevated  point 
of  the  moor  over  which  they  rode,  and  made  a  gesture  with  his 
whip,  over  the  broad,  beautiful  landscape  spread  before  them. 

"  Do  you  know  that  all  that  land  belongs  to  me  ? "  he  said  to 
Fauntleroy. 

"  Does  it?  "  answered  Fauntleroy.  "  How  much  it  is  to  belong  to 
one  person,  and  how  beautiful !  " 

"  Do  you  know  that  some  day  it  will  all  belong  to  you — that 
and  a  great  deal  more  ?  " 

"  To  me  !  "  exclaimed  Fauntleroy  in  rather  an  awe-stricken  voice. 
"  When  ?  " 

"  When  I  am  dead,"  his  grandfather  answered. 

"Then  I  don't  want  it,"  said  Fauntleroy;  "I  want  you  to  live 
always." 

"  That 's  kind,"  answered  the  Earl  in  his  dry  way  ;  "  nevertheless, 
some  day  it  will  all  be  yours — some  day  you  will  be  the  Earl  of 
Dorincourt." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 37 

Little  Lord  Fauntleroy  sat  very  still  in  his  saddle  for  a  few 
moments.  He  looked  over  the  broad  moors,  the  green  farms,  the 
beautiful  copses,  the  cottages  in  the  lanes,  the  pretty  village,  and 
over  the  trees  to  where  the  turrets  of  the  great  castle  rose,  gray  and 
stately.    Then  he  gave  a  queer  little  sigh. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of?  "  asked  the  Earl. 

"I  am  thinking,"  replied  Fauntleroy,  "what  a  little  boy  I  ami 
and  of  what  Dearest  said  to  me." 

"  What  was  it?  "  inquired  the  Earl. 

"  She  said  that  perhaps  it  was  not  so  easy  to  be  very  rich ;  that 
if  any  one  had  so  many  things  always,  one  might  sometimes  forget 
that  every  one  else  was  not  so  fortunate,  and  that  one  who  is  rich 
should  always  be  careful  and  try  to  remember.  I  was  talking  to  her 
about  how  good  you  were,  and  she  said  that  was  such  a  good  thing, 
because  an  earl  had  so  much  power,  and  if  he  cared  only  about  his 
•own  pleasure  and  never  thought  about  the  people  who  lived  on  his 
lands,  they  might  have  trouble  that  he  could  help — and  there  were 
so  many  people,  and  it  would  be  such  a  hard  thing.  And  I  was  just 
looking  at  all  those  houses,  and  thinking  how  I  should  have  to  find 
out  about  the  people,  when  I  was  an  earl.  How  did  you  find  out 
about  them  ?  " 

As  his  lordship's  knowledge  of  his  tenantry  consisted  in  finding 
out  which  of  them  paid  their  rent  promptly,  and  in  turning  out  those 
who  did  not,  this  was  rather  a  hard  question.  "  Newick  finds  out  for 
me,"  he  said,  and  he  pulled  his  great  gray  mustache,  and  looked  at 
his  small  questioner  rather  uneasily.  "We  will  go  home  now,"  he 
added ;  "  and  when  you  are  an  earl,  see  to  it  that  you  are  a  better 
earl  than  I  have  been  ! " 

He  was  very  silent  as  they  rode  home.  He  felt  it  to  be  almost 
incredible  that  he,  who  had  never  really  loved  any  one  in  his  life, 
should  find  himself  growing  so  fond  of  this  little  fellow, — as  without 


138  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

doubt  he  was.  At  first  he  had  only  been  pleased  and  proud  of 
Cedric's  beauty  and  bravery,  but  there  was  something  more  than 
pride  in  his  feeling  now.  He  laughed  a  grim,  dry  laugh  all  to  him- 
self sometimes,  when  he  thought  how  he  liked  to  have  the  boy  near 
him,  how  he  liked  to  hear  his  voice,  and  how  in  secret  he  really 
wished  to  be  liked  and  thought  well  of  by  his  small  grandson. 

"I'm  an  old  fellow  in  my  dotage,  and  I  have  nothing  else  to  think 
of,"  he  would  say  to  himself;  and  yet  he  knew  it  was  not  that  alto- 
gether. And  if  he  had  allowed  himself  to  admit  the  truth,  he  would 
perhaps  have  found  himself  obliged  to  own  that  the  very  things 
which  attracted  him,  in  spite  of  himself,  were  the  qualities  he  had 
never  possessed — the  frank,  true,  kindly  nature,  the  affectionate 
trustfulness  which  could  never  think  evil. 

It  was  only  about  a  week  after  that  ride  when,  after  a  visit  to  his 
mother,  Fauntleroy  came  into  the  library  with  a  troubled,  thought- 
ful face.  He  sat  down  in  that  high-backed  chair  in  which  he  had  sat 
on  the  evening  of  his  arrival,  and  for  a  while  he  looked  at  the 
embers  on  the  hearth.  The  Earl  watched  him  in  silence,  wondering 
what  was  coming.  It  was  evident  that  Cedric  had  something  on  his 
mind.  At  last  he  looked  up.  "  Does  Newick  know  all  about  the 
people  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  It  is  his  business  to  know  about  them,"  said  his  lordship.  "  Been 
neglecting  it — has  he  ?  " 

Contradictory  as  it  may  seem,  there  was  nothing  which  enter- 
tained and  edified  him  more  than  the  little  fellow's  interest  in  his 
tenantry.  He  had  never  taken  any  interest  in  them  himself,  but  it 
pleased  him  well  enough  that,  with  all  his  childish  habits  of  thought 
and  in  the  midst  of  all  his  childish  amusements  and  high  spirits, 
there  should  be  such  a  quaint  seriousness  working  in  the  curly  head. 

"  There  is  a  place,"  said  Fauntleroy,  looking  up  at  him  with  wide- 
open,  horror-stricken  eye —  "  Dearest  has  seen  it;  it  is  at  the  other 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  139 

end  of  the  village.  The  houses  are  close  together,  and  almost  falling 
down ;  you  can  scarcely  breathe ;  and  the  people  are  so  poor,  and 
everything  is  dreadful  !  Often  they  have  fever,  and  the  children  die ; 
and  it  makes  them  wicked  to  live  like  that,  and  be  so  poor  and 
miserable  !  It  is  worse  than  Michael  and  Bridget !  The  rain  comes 
in  at  the  roof!  Dearest  went  to  see  a  poor  woman  who  lived  there. 
She  would  not  let  me  come  near  her  until  she  had  changed  all 
her  things.  The  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks  when  she  told  me 
about  it ! " 

The  tears  had  come  into  his  own  eyes,  but  he  smiled  through 
them. 

"  I  told  her  you  did  n't  know,  and  I  would  tell  you,"  he  said. 
He  jumped  down  and  came  and  leaned  against  the  Earl's  chair. 
"  You  can  make  it  all  right,"  he  said,  "just  as  you  made  it  all 
right  for  Higgins.  You  always  make  it  all  right  for  everybody.  I 
told  her  you  would,  and  that  Newick  must  have  forgotten  to 
tell  you." 

The  Earl  looked  down  at  the  hand  on  his  knee.  Newick  had 
not  forgotten  to  tell  him ;  in  fact,  Newick  had  spoken  to  him  more 
than  once  of  the  desperate  condition  of  the  end  of  the  village  known 
as  Earl's  Court.  He  knew  all  about  the  tumble-down,  miserable  cot- 
tages, and  the  bad  drainage,  and  the  damp  walls  and  broken  win- 
dows and  leaking  roofs,  and  all  about  the  poverty,  the  fever,  and  the 
misery.  Mr.  Mordaunt  had  painted  it  all  to  him  in  the  strongest 
words  he  could  use,  and  his  lordship  had  used  violent  language  in 
response ;  and,  when  his  gout  had  been  at  the  worst,  he  said  that 
the  sooner  the  people  of  Earl's  Court  died  and  were  buried  by  the 
parish  the  better  it  would  be, — and  there  was  an  end  of  the  matter. 
And  yet,  as  he  looked  at  the  small  hand  on  his  knee,  and  from  the 
small  hand  to  the  honest,  earnest,  frank-eyed  face,  he  was  actually  a 
little  ashamed  both  of  Earl's  Court  and  himself. 


I4-0  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


"What!"  he  said;  "you  want  to  make  a  builder  of  model  cot- 
tages of  me,  do  you  ?  "  And  he  positively  put  his  own  hand  upon 
the  childish  one  and  stroked  it. 

"  Those  must  be  pulled  down,"  said  Fauntleroy,  with  great  eager- 
ness. "  Dearest  says  so.  Let  us — let  us  go  and  have  them  pulled 
down  to-morrow.  The  people  will  be  so  glad  when  they  see  you ! 
They  '11  know  you  have  come  to  help  them  !  "  And  his  eyes  shone 
like  stars  in  his  glowing  face. 

The  Earl  rose  from  his  chair  and  put  his  hand  on  the  child's 
shoulder.  "  Let  us  go  out  and  take  our  walk  on  the  terrace,"  he 
said,  with  a  short  laugh  ;    "  and  we  can  talk  it  over." 

And  though  he  laughed  two  or  three  times  again,  as  they 
walked  to  and  fro  on  the  broad  stone  terrace,  where  they  walked 
together  almost  every  fine  evening,  he  seemed  to  be  thinking  of 
something  which  did  not  displease  him,  and  still  he  kept  his  hand  on 
his  small  companion's  shoulder. 


X 

The  truth  was  that  Mrs.  Errol  had  found  a  great  many  sad 
things  in  the  course  of  her  work  among  the  poor  of  the  lit- 
tle village  that  appeared  so  picturesque  when  it  was  seen 
from  the  moor-sides.  Everything  was  not  as  picturesque,  when 
seen  near  by,  as  it  looked  from  a  distance.  She  had  found  idleness 
and  poverty  and  ignorance  where  there  should  have  been  comfort 
and  industry.  And  she  had  discovered,  after  a  while,  that  Erleboro 
was  considered  to  be  the  worst  village  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
Mr.  Mordaunt  had  told  her  a  great  many  of  his  difficulties  and  dis- 
couragements, and  she  had  found  out  a  great  deal  by  herself.  The 
agents  who  had  managed  the  property  had  always  been  chosen  to 
please  the  Earl,  and  had  cared  nothing  for  the  degradation  and 
wretchedness  of  the  poor  tenants.  Many  things,  therefore,  had 
been  neglected  which  should  have  been  attended  to,  and  matters  had 
pone  from  bad  to  worse. 

As  to  Earl's  Court,  it  was  a  disgrace,  with  its  dilapidated 
houses  and  miserable,  careless,  sickly  people.  When  first  Mrs. 
Errol  went  to  the  place,  it  made  her  shudder.  Such  ugliness  and 
slovenliness  and  want  seemed  worse  in  a  country  place  than  in  a 
city.  It  seemed  as  if  there  it  might  be  helped.  And  as  she  looked 
at  the  squalid,  uncared-for  children  growing  up  in  the  midst  of  vice 
and  brutal  indifference,  she  thought  of  her  own  little  boy  spending 
his  days  in  the  great,  splendid  castle,  guarded  and  served  like  a 
young  prince,  having  no  wish  ungratified,  and  knowing  nothing  but 


142  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

luxury  and  ease  and  beauty.  And  a  bold  thought  came  in  her  wise 
little  mother- heart.  Gradually  she  had  begun  to  see,  as  had  others, 
that  it  had  been  her  boy's  good  fortune  to  please  the  Earl  very 
much,  and  that  he  would  scarcely  be  likely  to  be  denied  anything 
for  which  he  expressed  a  desire. 

"  The  Earl  would  give  him  anything,"  she  said  to  Mr.  Mordaunt. 
"  He  would  indulge  his  every  whim.  Why  should  not  that  indul- 
gence be  used  for  the  good  of  others  ?  It  is  for  me  to  see  that  this 
shall  come  to  pass." 

She  knew  she  could  trust  the  kind,  childish  heart ;  so  she  told 
the  little  fellow  the  story  of  Earl's  Court,  feeling  sure  that  he  would 
speak  of  it  to  his  grandfather,  and  hoping  that  some  good  results 
would  follow. 

And  strange  as  it  appeared  to  every  one,  good  results  did 
follow.  The  fact  was  that  the  strongest  power  to  influence  the  Earl 
was  his  grandson's  perfect  confidence  in  him — the  fact  that  Cedric 
always  believed  that  his  grandfather  was  going  to  do  what  was  right 
and  generous.  He  could  not  quite  make  up  his  mind  to  let  him 
discover  that  he  had  no  inclination  to  be  generous  at  all,  and  that 
he  wanted  his  own  wav  on  all  occasions,  whether  it  was  right  or 
wrong.  It  was  such  a  novelty  to  be  regarded  with  admiration  as  a 
benefactor  of  the  entire  human  race,  and  the  soul  of  nobility,  that 
he  did  not  enjoy  the  idea  of  looking  into  the  affectionate  brown  eyes, 
and  saying:  "I  am  a  violent,  selfish  old  rascal;  I  never  did  a  gen- 
erous thing  in  my  life,  and  I  don't  care  about  Earl's  Court  or  the 
poor  people" — or  something  which  would  amount  to  the  same  thing. 
He  actually  had  learned  to  be  fond  enough  of  that  small  boy  with 
the  mop  of  yellow  love-locks,  to  feel  that  he  himself  would  prefer  to 
be  guilty  of  an  amiable  action  now  and  then.  And  so — though  he 
laughed  at  himself — after  some  reflection,  he  sent  for  Newick,  and 
had  quite  a  long  interview  with  him  on  the  subject  of  the  Court,  and 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  143 

it  was  decided  that  the  wretched  hovels  should  be  pulled  down  and 
new  houses  should  be  built. 

"It  is  Lord  Fauntleroy  who  insists  on  it,"  he  said  dryly;  "he 
thinks  it  will  improve  the  property.  You  can  tell  the  tenants  that 
it  's  his  idea."  And  he  looked  down  at  his  small  lordship,  who  was 
lying"  on  the  hearth-rug  playing  with  Dougal.  The  great  dog  was 
the  lad's  constant  companion,  and  followed  him  about  everywhere, 
stalking  solemnly  after  him  when  he  walked,  and  trotting  majestic- 
ally behind  when  he  rode  or  drove. 

Of  course,  both  the  country  people  and  the  town  people  heard 
of  the  proposed  improvement.  At  first,  many  of  them  would  not 
believe  it;  but  when  a  small  army  of  workmen  arrived  and  com- 
menced pulling  down  the  crazy,  squalid  cottages,  people  began  to 
understand  that  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  had  done  them  a  good  turn 
again,  and  that  through  his  innocent  interference  the  scandal  of 
Earl's  Court  had  at  last  been  removed.  If  he  had  only  known  how 
they  talked  about  him  and  praised  him  everywhere,  and  prophesied 
great  things  for  him  when  he  grew  up,  how  astonished  he  would 
have  been  !  But  he  never  suspected  it.  He  lived  his  simple,  happy, 
child  life, — frolicking  about  in  the  park ;  chasing  the  rabbits  to  their 
burrows ;  lying  under  the  trees  on  the  grass,  or  on  the  rug  in  the 
library,  reading  wonderful  books  and  talking  to  the  Earl  about  them, 
and  then  telling  the  stories  again  to  his  mother  ;  writing  long  letters 
to  Dick  and  Mr.  Hobbs,  who  responded  in  characteristic  fashion ; 
riding  out  at  his  grandfather's  side,  or  with  Wilkins  as  escort.  As 
they  rode  through  the  market  town,  he  used  to  see  the  people  turn 
and  look,  and  he  noticed  that  as  they  lifted  their  hats  their  faces 
often  brightened  very  much ;  but  he  thought  it  was  all  because  his 
grandfather  was  with  him. 

"  They  are  so  fond  of  you,"  he  once  said,  looking  up  at  his  lord- 
ship with  a  bright  smile.      "Do  you  see  how  glad  they  are  when 


144 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


they  see  you  ?  I  hope  they  will  some  day  be  as  fond  of  me.  It 
must  be  nice  to  have  everyho&y  like  you."  And  he  felt  quite  proud 
to  be  the  grandson  of  so  greatly  admired  and  beloved  an  individual. 
When  the  cottages 'were  being  built,  the  lad  and  his  grandfather 
used  to  ride  over  to   Earl's   Court  together  to  look  at  them,   and 

Fauntleroy  was  full  of  interest. 
He  would  dismount  from  his 
pony  and  go  and  make  acquaint- 
ance with  the  workmen,  asking 
them  questions  about  building 
and  bricklaying,  and  telling  them 
things  about  America.  After 
two  or  three  such  conversations, 
he  was  able  to  enlighten  the 
Earl  on  the  subject  of  brick- 
making,  as  they  rode  home. 

"  I  always  like  to  know  about 
things  like  those,"  he  said,  "be- 
cause you  never  know  what  you 
are  coming  to." 

When    he    left   them,    the 
workmen  used  to  talk  him  over 
among  themselves,  and  laugh  at 
his  odd,  innocent  speeches  ;  but 
the  workmen  liked  to  see  him  stand  among    they  liked  him,  and  liked  to  see 

THEM,  TALKING   AWAY,  WITH   HIS   HANDS  -i    •      *        ,  -i  ,  i  ,      11    • 

in  his  pockets.  hlm  stand  among  them,  talking 

away,  with  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  his  hat  pushed  back  on  his  curls,  and  his  small  face  full 
of  eagerness.  "  He  's  a  rare  un,"  they  used  to  say.  "An'  a  noice 
little  outspoken  chap,  too.  Not  much  o'  th'  bad  stock  in  him."  And 
they  would  go  home  and  tell  their  wives  about  him,  and  the  women 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  145 


would  tell  each  other,  and  so  it  came  about  that  almost  every  one 
talked  of,  or  knew  some  story  of,  little  Lord  Fauntleroy ;  and 
gradually  almost  every  one  knew  that  the  "wicked  Earl  "  had  found 
something  he  cared  for  at  last — something  which  had  touched  and 
even  warmed  his  hard,  bitter  old  heart. 

But  no  one  knew  quite  how  much  it  had  been  warmed,  and  how 
day  by  day  the  old  man  found  himself  caring  more  and  more  for  the 
child,  who  was  the  only  creature  that  had  ever  trusted  him.  He 
found  himself  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  Cedric  would  be 
a  young  man,  strong  and  beautiful,  with  life  all  before  him,  but 
having  still  that  kind  heart  and  the  power  to  make  friends  every- 
where ,  and  the  Earl  wondered  what  the  lad  would  do,  and  how  he 
would  use  his  gifts.  Often  as  he  watched  the  little  fellow  lying 
upon  the  hearth,  conning  some  big  book,  the  light  shining  on 
the  bright  young  head,  his  old  eyes  would  gleam  and  his  cheek 
would  flush. 

"  The  boy  can  do  anything,"  he  would  say  to  himself,  "  any- 
thing !" 

He  never  spoke  to  any  one  else  of  his  feeling  for  Cedric  ;  when 
he  spoke  of  him  to  others  it  was  always  with  the  same  grim  smile. 
But  Fauntleroy  soon  knew  that  his  grandfather  loved  him  and 
always  liked  him  to  be  near — near  to  his  chair  if  they  were  in  the 
library,  opposite  to  him  at  table,  or  by  his  side  when  he  rode  or 
drove  or  took  his  evening  walk  on  the  broad  terrace. 

"  Do  you  remember,"  Cedric  said  once,  looking  up  from  his  book 
as  he  lay  on  the  rug,  "do  you  remember  what  I  said  to  you  that 
first  night  about  our  being  good  companions  ?  I  don't  think  anv 
people  could  be  better  companions  than  we  are,  do  you?" 

"  We  are  pretty  good  companions,  I  should  say,"  replied  his 
lordship.      "  Come  here." 

Fauntleroy  scrambled  up  and  went  to  him. 
10 


146  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


"Is  there  anything  you  want,"  the  Earl  asked;    "anything  you 
have  not  ?  " 

The  little  fellow's  brown  eyes  fixed  themselves  on  his  grand- 
father with  a  rather  wistful  look. 
"  Only  one  thing,"  he  answered. 
"  What  is  that  ?  "  inquired  the  Earl. 
Fauntleroy  was  silent  a  second.      He  had  not  thought  matters 
over  to  himself  so  long  for  nothing. 
"  What  is  it? "  my  lord  repeated. 

Fauntleroy  answered. 
"  It  is  Dearest,"  he  said. 

The  old  Earl  winced  a  little. 
"  But  you   see   her   almost   every   day,"  he   said.      "Is   not  that 
enough  ?" 

"  I  used  to  see  her  all  the  time,"  said  Fauntleroy.      "  She  used  to 
kiss  me  when  I  went  to  sleep  at  night,  and  in  the  morning  she  was 
always  there,  and  we  could  tell  each  other  things  without  waiting.'' 
The  old  eyes  and  the  young  ones  looked  into  each  other  through 
a  moment  of  silence.     Then  the  Earl  knitted  his  brows. 
"  Do  you  never  forget  about  your  mother?  "  he  said. 
"No,"   answered    Fauntleroy,    "never;    and   she    never    forgets 
about  me.      I  should  n't  forget  about  you,  you  know,  if  I  did  n't  live 
with  you.      I  should  think  about  you  all  the  more." 

"  Upon   my  word,"  said  the   Earl,  after  looking  at  him  a  moment 
longer,  "  I  believe  you  would  !  " 

The  jealous  pang  that  came  when  the  boy  spoke  so  of  his 
mother  seemed  even  stronger  than  it  had  been  before ;  it  was 
stronger  because  of  this  old  man's  increasing  affection  for  the  boy. 

But  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  other  pangs,  so  much  harder 
to  face  that  he  almost  forgot,  for  the  time,  he  had  ever  hated  his 
son's  wife  at  all.     And  in  a  strange  and  startling  way  it  happened. 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  1 47 


One  evening,  just  before  the  Earl's  Court  cottages  were  completed, 
there  was  a  grand  dinner  party  at  Dorincourt.  There  had  not 
been  such  a  party  at  the  Castle  for  a  long  time.  A  few  days  before 
it  took  place,  Sir  Harry  Lorridaile  and  Lady  Lorridaile,  who  was  the 
Earl's  only  sister,  actually  came  for  a  visit  —  a  thing  which  caused 
the  greatest  excitement  in  the  village  and  set  Mrs.  Dibble's  shop- 
bell  tinkling  madly  again,  because  it  was  well  known  that  Lady 
Lorridaile  had  only  been  to  Dorincourt  once  since  her  marriage, 
thirty-five  years  before.  She  was  a  handsome  old  lady  with  white 
curls  and  dimpled,  peachy  cheeks,  and  she  was  as  good  as  gold,  but 
she  had  never  approved  of  her  brother  any  more  than  did  the  rest 
of  the  world,  and  having  a  strong  will  of  her  own  and  not  being  at 
all  afraid  to  speak  her  mind  frankly,  she  had,  after  several  lively 
quarrels  with  his  lordship,  seen  very  little  of  him  since  her  young 
days. 

She  had  heard  a  great  deal  of  him  that  was  not  pleasant 
through  the  years  in  which  they  had  been  separated.  She  had 
heard  about  his  neglect  of  his  wife,  and  of  the  poor  lady's  death ; 
and  of  his  indifference  to  his  children ;  and  of  the  two  weak,  vicious, 
unprepossessing  elder  boys  who  had  been  no  credit  to  him  or  to 
any  one  else.  Those  two  elder  sons,  Bevis  and  Maurice,  she  had 
never  seen  ;  but  once  there  had  come  to  Lorridaile  Park  a  tall,  Stal- 
wart, beautiful  young  fellow  about  eighteen  years  old,  who  had  told 
her  that  he  was  her  nephew  Cedric  Errol,  and  that  he  had  come  to 
see  her  because  he  was  passing  near  the  place  and  wished  to  look 
at  his  Aunt  Constantia  of  whom  he  had  heard  his  mother  speak. 
Lady  Lorridaile's  kind  heart  had  warmed  through  and  through  at 
the  sight  of  the  young  man,  and  she  had  made  him  stay  with  her  a. 
week,  and  petted  him,  and  made  much  of  him  and  admired  him 
immensely.  He  was  so  sweet-tempered,  light-hearted,  spirited  a. 
lad,  that  when  he  went  away,  she  had  hoped  to  see  him  often  again ; 


148  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

but  she  never  did,  because  the  Earl  had  been  in  a  bad  humor  when 
he  went  back  to  Dorincourt,  and  had  forbidden  him  ever  to  go  to 
Lorridaile  Park  again.  But  Lady  Lorridaile  had  always  remem- 
bered him  tenderly,  and  though  she  feared  he  had  made  a  rash  mar- 
riage in  America,  she  had  been  very  angry  when  she  heard  how  he 
had  been  cast  off  by  his  father  and  that  no  one  really  knew  where 
or  how  he  lived.  At  last  there  came  a  rumor  of  his  death,  and  then 
Bevis  had  been  thrown  from  his  horse  and  killed,  and  Maurice  had 
died  in  Rome  of  the  fever  ;  and  soon  after  came  the  story  of  the 
American  child  who  was  to  be  found  and  brought  home  as  Lord 
Fauntleroy. 

"  Probably  to  be  ruined  as  the  others  were,"  she  said  to  her  hus- 
band, "unless  his  mother  is  good  enough  and  has  a  will  of  her  own 
to  help  her  to  take  care  of  him." 

But  when  she  heard  that  Cedric's  mother  had  been  parted  from 
him  she  was  almost  too  indignant  for  words. 

"It  is  disgraceful,  Harry!"  she  said.  "Fancy  a  child  of  that 
age  being  taken  from  his  mother,  and  made  the  companion  of  a  man 
like  my  brother  !  He  will  either  be  brutal  to  the  boy  or  indulge 
him  until  he  is  a  little  monster.  If  I  thought  it  would  do  any  good 
to  write  " 

"  It  would  n't,  Constantia,"  said  Sir  Harry. 

"  I  know  it  would  n't,"  she  answered.  "  I  know  his  lordship  the 
Earl  of  Dorincourt  too  well ; — but  it  is  outrageous." 

Not  only  the  poor  people  and  farmers  heard  about  little  Lord 
Fauntleroy ;  others  knew  him.  He  was  talked  about  so  much  and 
there  were  so  many  stories  of  him  —  of  his  beauty,  his  sweet  temper, 
his  popularity,  and  his  growing  influence  over  the  Earl,  his  grand- 
father—  that  rumors  of  him  reached  the  gentry  at  their  country 
places  and  he  was  heard  of  in  more  than  one  county  of  England. 
People    talked    about    him    at    the    dinner    tables,   ladies  pitied  his 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 49 


young  mother,  and  wondered  if  the  boy  were  as  handsome  as 
he  was  said  to  be,  and  men  who  knew  the  Earl  and  his  habits 
laughed  heartily  at  the  stories  of  the  little  fellow's  belief  in  his  loid- 
ship's  amiability.  Sir  Thomas  Asshe  of  Asshawe  Hall,  being  in 
Erleboro  one  day,  met  the  Earl  and  his  grandson  riding  together, 
and  stopped  to  shake  hands  with  my  lord  and  congratulate  him  on 
his  change  of  looks  and  on  his  recovery  from  the  gout.  "  And, 
d'  ye  know,"  he  said,  when  he  spoke  of  the  incident  afterward, 
"  the  old  man  looked  as  proud  as  a  turkey-cock ;  and  upon  my 
word  I  don't  wonder,  for  a  handsomer,  finer  lad  than  his  grandson  I 
never  saw !  As  straight  as  a  dart,  and  sat  his  pony  like  a  young 
trooper ! " 

And  so  by  degrees  Lady  Lorridaile,  too,  heard  of  the  child ; 
she  heard  about  Higgins  and  the  lame  boy,  and  the  cottages  at 
Earl's  Court,  and  a  score  of  other  things, — and  she  began  to  wish 
to  see  the  little  fellow.  And  just  as  she  was  wondering  how  it  might 
be  brought  about,  to  her  utter  astonishment,  she  received  a  letter 
from  her  brother  inviting  her  to  come  with  her  husband  to  Dorin- 
court. 

"  It  seems  incredible  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  I  have  heard  it  said  that 
the  child  has  worked  miracles,  and  I  begin  to  believe  it.  They  say 
my  brother  adores  the  boy  and  can  scarcely  endure  to  have  him  out 
of  sight.  And  he  is  so  proud  of  him  !  Actually,  I  believe  he  wants  to 
show  him  to  us."  And  she  accepted  the  invitation  at  once. 

When  she  reached  Dorincourt  Castle  with  Sir  Harry,  it  was 
late  in  the  afternoon,  and  she  went  to  her  room  at  once  before  seeing 
her  brother.  Having  dressed  for  dinner,  she  entered  the  drawing- 
room.  The  Earl  was  there  standing  near  the  fire  and  looking  very 
tall  and  imposing ;  and  at  his  side  stood  a  little  boy  in  black  velvet, 
and  a  large  Vandyke  collar  of  rich  lace — a  little  fellow  whose  round 
bright  face  was  so  handsome,  and  who  turned  upon  her  such  beauti- 


150  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

fill,  candid  brown  eyes,  that  she   almost  uttered  an  exclamation  of 
pleasure  and  surprise  at  the  sight. 

As  she  shook  hands  with  the  Earl,  she  called  him  by  the  name 
she  had  not  used  since  Ker  girlhood. 

"  What,  Molyneux  !  "  she  said,  "is  this  the  child?  " 

"Yes,  Constantia,"  answered  the  Earl,  "this  is  the  boy.  Faunt- 
leroy,  this  is  your  grand-aunt,  Lady  Lorridaile." 

"  How  do  you  do,  Grand-Aunt?"  said  Fauntleroy. 
Lady  Lorridaile  put  her  hand  on  his  shoulders,  and  after  look- 
ing down  into  his  upraised  face  a  few  seconds,  kissed  him  warmly. 

"  I  am  your  Aunt  Constantia,"  she  said,  "and  I  loved  your  poor 
papa,  and  you  are  very  like  him." 

"  It  makes  me  glad  when  I  am  told  I  am  like  him,"  answered 
Fauntleroy,  "  because  it  seems  as  if  every  one  liked  him, — just  like 
Dearest,  eszackly, —  Aunt  Constantia"  (adding  the  two  words 
after  a  second's  pause). 

Lady  Lorridaile  was  delighted.    She  bent  and  kissed  him  again, 
and  from  that  moment  they  were  warm  friends. 

"Well,  Molyneux,"  she  said  aside  to  the  Earl  afterward,  "it 
could  not  possibly  be  better  than  this  !  " 

"  I  think  not,"  answered  his  lordship  dryly.  "  He  is  a  fine  little 
fellow.  We  are  great  friends.  He  believes  me  to  be  the  most 
charming  and  sweet-tempered  of  philanthropists.  I  will  confess  to 
you,  Constantia, — as  you  would  find  it  out  if  I  did  not, — that  I  am 
in  some  slight  danger  of  becoming  rather  an  old  fool  about  him." 

"  What  does  his  mother  think  of  you?  "  asked  Lady  Lorridaile, 
with  her  usual  straightforwardness. 

"  I  have  not  asked  her,"  answered  the  Earl,  slightly  scowling. 

"Well,"  said  Lady  Lorridaile,  "I  will  be  frank  with  you  at  the 
outset,  Molyneux,  and  tell  you  I  don't  approve  of  your  course,  and 
that  it  is  my  intention  to  call  on  Mrs.  Errol  as  soon  as  possible ;   so 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  151 


if  you  wish  to  quarrel  with  me,  you  had  better  mention  it  at  once. 
What  I  hear  of  the  young  creature  makes  me  quite  sure  that  her 
child  owes  her  everything.  We  were  told  even  at  Lorridaile  Park 
that  your  poorer  tenants  adore  her  already." 

"  They  adore  him,"  said  the  Earl,  nodding  toward  Fauntleroy. 
"  As  to  Mrs.  Errol,  you  '11  find  her  a  pretty  little  woman.  I  'm  rather 
in  debt  to  her  for  giving  some  of  her  beauty  to  the  boy,  and  you 
can  go  to  see  her  if  you  like.  All  I  ask  is  that  she  will  remain  at 
Court  Lodge  and  that  you  will  not  ask  me  to  go  and  see  her,"  and 
he  scowled  a  little  again. 

"  But  he  does  n't  hate  her  as  much  as  he  used  to,  that  is  plain 
enough  to  me,"  her  ladyship  said  to  Sir  Harry  afterward.  "And  he 
is  a  changed  man  in  a  measure,  and,  incredible  as  it  may  seem, 
Harry,  it  is  my  opinion  that  he  is  being  made  into  a  human  being, 
through  nothing  more  nor  less  than  his  affection  for  that  innocent, 
affectionate  little  fellow.  Why,  the  child  actually  loves  him — leans 
on  his  chair  and  against  his  knee.  His  own  children  would  as  soon 
have  thought  of  nestling  up  to  a  tiger." 

The  very  next  day  she  went  to  call  upon  Mrs.  Errol.  When  she 
returned,  she  said  to  her  brother  : 

"  Molyneux,  she  is  the  loveliest  little  woman  I  ever  saw  !  She  has 
a  voice  like  a  silver  bell,  and  you  may  thank  her  for  making  the  boy 
what  he  is.  She  has  given  him  more  than  her  beauty,  and  you  make 
a  great  mistake  in  not  persuading  her  to  come  and  take  charge  of 
you.    I  shall  invite  her  to  Lorridaile." 

"  She  '11  not  leave  the  boy,"  replied  the  Earl. 

"  I  must  have  the  boy  too,"  said  Lady  Lorridaile,  laughing. 

But  she  knew  Fauntleroy  would  not  be  given  up  to  her,  and 

each  day  she  saw  more  clearly  how  closely  those  two  had  grown  to 

each   other,   and  how  all  the  proud,   grim  old  man's  ambition  and 

hope  and  love  centered  themselves  in  the  child,  and  how  the  warm, 


I52  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

innocent  nature  returned  his  affection  with  most  perfect  trust  and 
good  faith. 

She  knew,  too,  that  the  prime  reason  for  the  great  dinner  party- 
was  the  Earl's  secret  desire  to  show  the  world  his  grandson  and 
heir,  and  to  let  people  see  that  the  boy  who  had  been  so  much 
spoken  of  and  described  was  even  a  finer  little  specimen  of  boyhood 
than  rumor  had  made  him. 

"  Bevis  and  Maurice  were  such  a  bitter  humiliation  to  him,"  she 
said  to  her  husband.  "  Every  one  knew  it.  He  actually  hated 
them.  His  pride  has  full  sway  here."  Perhaps  there  was  not  one 
person  who  accepted  the  invitation  without  feeling  some  curiosity 
about  little  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  wondering  if  he  would  be  on  view. 

And  when  the  time  came  he  was  on  view. 
"  The  lad  has  good  manners,"  said  the  Earl.      "  He  will  be   in 
no  one's  way.      Children  are  usually  idiots  or  bores, — mine   were 
both, —  but   he   can   actually  answer  when  he  's  spoken  to,  and  be 
silent  when  he  is  not.      He  is  never  offensive." 

But  he  was  not  allowed  to  be  silent  very  long.  Every  one  had 
something  to  say  to  him.  The  fact  was  they  wished  to  make  him 
talk.  The  ladies  petted  him  and  asked  him  questions,  and  the  men 
asked  him  questions  too,  and  joked  with  him,  as  the  men  on  the 
steamer  had  done  when  he  crossed  the  Atlantic.  Fauntleroy  did 
not  quite  understand  why  they  laughed  so  sometimes  when  he 
answered  them,  but  he  was  so  used  to  seeing  people  amused  when 
he  was  quite  serious,  that  he  did  not  mind.  He  thought  the  whole 
evening  delightful.  The  magnificent  rooms  were  so  brilliant  with 
lights,  there  were  so  many  flowers,  the  gentlemen  seemed  so  gay, 
and  the  ladies  wore  such  beautiful,  wonderful  dresses,  and  such 
sparkling  ornaments  in  their  hair  and  on  their  necks.  There  was 
one  young  lady  who,  he  heard  them  say,  had  just  come  down  from 
London,  where  she  had  spent  the  "  season  "  ;   and  she  was  so  charm- 


Ik 


II 


* 


^ 


M.  ■    : 


V-"':']'r^::iJ':^j\. 


"'I  WAS   THINKING   HOW   BEAUTIFUL  YOU   ARE,'    SAID    LORD    FAUNTLF.ROY." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 55 

ing  that  he  could  not  keep  his  eyes  from  her.  She  was  a  rather  tall 
young  lady  with  a  proud  little  head,  and  very  soft  dark  hair,  and 
large  eyes  the  color  of  purple  pansies,  and  the  color  on  her  cheeks 
and  lips  was  like  that  of  a  rose.  She  was  dressed  in  a  beautiful  white 
dress,  and  had  pearls  around  her  throat.  There  was  one  strange 
thing  about  this  young  lady.  So  many  gentlemen  stood  near  her, 
and  seemed  anxious  to  please  her,  that  Fauntleroy  thought  she  must 
be  something  like  a  princess.  He  was  so  much  interested  in  her 
that  without  knowing  it  he  drew  nearer  and  nearer  to  her,  and  at 
last  she  turned  and  spoke  to  him. 

•'  Come  here,  Lord  Fauntleroy,"  she  said,  smiling ;  "  and  tell  me 
why  you  look  at  me  so." 

"  I  was  thinking  how  beautiful  you  are,"  his  young  lordship 
replied. 

Then  all  the  gentlemen  laughed  outright,  and  the  young  lady 
laughed  a  little  too,  and  the  rose  color  in  her  cheeks  brightened. 

"  Ah,  Fauntleroy,"  said  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  had  laughed 
most  heartily,  "make  the  most  of  your  time!  When  you  are  older 
you  will  not  have  the  courage  to  say  that." 

"  But  nobody  could  help  saying  it,"  said  Fauntleroy  sweetly. 
"Could  you  help  it?      Don't  you  think  she  is  pretty,  too?" 

"  We  are  not  allowed  to  say  what  we  think,"  said  the  gentleman, 
while  the  rest  laughed  more  than  ever. 

But  the  beautiful  young  lady  —  her  name  was  Miss  Vivian 
Herbert — put  out  her  hand  and  drew  Cedric  to  her  side,  looking 
prettier  than  before,  if  possible. 

"Lord  Fauntleroy  shall  say  what  he  thinks,"  she  said;  "and  I 
am  much  obliged  to  him.  I  am  sure  he  thinks  what  he  says."  And 
she  kissed  him  on  his  cheek. 

"  I  think  you  are  prettier  than  any  one  I  ever  saw,"  said  Faunt- 
leroy, looking  at  her  with  innocent,  admiring  eyes,  "  except  Dear- 


156  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

est.      Of  course,  I  could  n't  think  any  one  quite  as  pretty  as  Dearest. 
I  think  she  is  the  prettiest  person  in  the  world." 

"  I  am  sure  she  is,"  said  Miss  Vivian  Herbert.     And  she  laughed 
and  kissed  his  cheek  ag;ain. 

She  kept  him  by  her  side  a  great  part  of  the  evening,  and  the 
group  of  which  they  were  the  center  was  very  gay.  He  did  not 
know  how  it  happened,  but  before  long  he  was  telling  them  all 
about  America,  and  the  Republican  Rally,  and  Mr.  Hobbs  and  Dick, 
and  in  the  end  he  proudly  produced  from  his  pocket  Dick's  parting 
gift, — the  red  silk  handkerchief. 

"  I  put  it  in  my  pocket  to-night  because  it  was  a  party,"  he  said. 
"  I  thought  Dick  would  like  me  to  wear  it  at  a  party." 

And  queer  as  the  big,  flaming,  spotted  thing  was,  there  was  a 
serious,  affectionate  look  in  his  eyes,  which  prevented  his  audience 
from  laughing  very  much. 

"  You  see,  I  like  it,"  he  said,    "because  Dick  is  my  friend." 

But  though  he  was  talked  to  so  much,  as  the  Earl  had  said,  he 
was  in  no  one's  way.  He  could  be  quiet  and  listen  when  others 
talked,  and  so  no  one  found  him  tiresome.  A  slight  smile  crossed 
more  than  one  face  when  several  times  he  went  and  stood  near  his 
grandfather's  chair,  or  sat  on  a  stool  close  to  him,  watching  him  and 
absorbing  every  word  he  uttered  with  the  most  charmed  interest. 
Once  he  stood  so  near  the  chair's  arm  that  his  cheek  touched 
the  Earl's  shoulder,  and  his  lordship,  detecting  the  general  smile, 
smiled  a  little  himself.  He  knew  what  the  lookers-on  were  think- 
ing, and  he  felt  some  secret  amusement  in  their  seeing  what  good 
friends  he  was  with  this  youngster,  who  might  have  been  expected 
to  share  the  popular  opinion  of  him. 

Mr.  Havisham  had  been  expected  to  arrive  in  the  afternoon, 
but,  strange  to  say,  he  was  late.  Such  a  thing  had  really  never  been 
known  to  happen  before  during  all  the  years  in  which  he  had  been  a 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 57 


visitor  at  Dorincourt  Castle.  He  was  so  late  that  the  guests  were 
on  the  point  of  rising  to  go  in  to  dinner  when  he  arrived.  When 
he  approached  his  host,  the  Earl  regarded  him  with  amazement. 
He  looked  as  if  he  had  been  hurried  or  agitated ;  his  dry,  keen  old 
face  was  actually  pale. 

"I  was  detained,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice  to  the  Earl,    "by — an 
extraordinary  event." 

It  was  as  unlike  the  methodic  old  lawyer  to  be  agitated  by  any- 
thing as  it  was  to  be  late,  but  it  was  evident  that  he  had  been  dis- 
turbed. At  dinner  he  ate  scarcely  anything,  and  two  or  three  times, 
when  he  was  spoken  to,  he  started  as  if  his  thoughts  were  far  away. 
At  dessert,  when  Fauntleroy  came  in,  he  looked  at  him  more  than 
once,  nervously  and  uneasily.  Fauntleroy  noted  the  look  and  won- 
dered at  it.  He  and  Mr.  Havisham  were  on  friendly  terms,  and 
they  usually  exchanged  smiles.  The  lawyer  seemed  to  have  for- 
gotten to  smile  that  evening. 

The  fact  was,  he  forgot  everything  but  the  strange  and  painful 
news  he  knew  he  must  tell  the  Earl  before  the  night  was  over — the 
strange  news  which  he  knew  would  be  so  terrible  a  shock,  and  which 
would  change  the  face  of  everything.  As  he  looked  about  at  the 
splendid  rooms  and  the  brilliant  company, — at  the  people  gath- 
ered together,  he  knew,  more  that  they  might  see  the  bright-haired 
little  fellow  near  the  Earl's  chair  than  for  any  other  reason, —  as  he 
looked  at  the  proud  old  man  and  at  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  smiling  at 
his  side,  he  really  felt  quite  shaken,  notwithstanding  that  he  was  a 
hardened  old  lawyer.     What  a  blow  it  was  that  he  must  deal  them  ! 

He  did  not  exactly  know  how  the  long,  superb  dinner  ended. 
He  sat  through  it  as  if  he  were  in  a  dream,  and  several  times  he 
saw  the  Earl  glance  at  him  in  surprise. 

But  it  was  over  at  last,  and  the  gentlemen  joined  the  ladies  in 
the  drawing-room.      They  found  Fauntleroy  sitting  on  the  sofa  with 


158  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

Miss  Vivian  Herbert, — the  great  beauty  of  the  last  London  season ; 
they  had  been  looking  at  some  pictures,  and  he  was  thanking  his 
companion  as  the  door  opened. 

"  I  'm  ever  so  much 'obliged  to  you  for  being  so  kind  to  me  ! "  he 
was  saying;  "  I  never  was  at  a  party  before,  and  I  've  enjoyed  my- 
self so  much  ! " 

He  had  enjoyed  himself  so  much  that  when  the  gentlemen 
gathered  about  Miss  Herbert  again  and  began  to  talk  to  her,  as  he 
listened  and  tried  to  understand  their  laughing  speeches,  his  eyelids 
began  to  droop.  They  drooped  until  they  covered  his  eyes  two  or 
three  times,  and  then  the  sound  of  Miss  Herbert's  low,  pretty  laugh 
would  bring  him  back,  and  he  would  open  them  again  for  about  two 
seconds.  He  was  quite  sure  he  was  not  going  to  sleep,  but  there 
was  a  large,  yellow  satin  cushion  behind  him  and  his  head  sank 
against  it,  and  after  a  while  his  eyelids  drooped  for  the  last  time. 
They  did  not  even  quite  open  when,  as  it  seemed  a  long  time  after, 
some  one  kissed  him  lightly  on  the  cheek.  It  was  Miss  Vivian 
Herbert,  who  was  going  away,  and  she  spoke  to  him  softly. 

"  Good-night,  little  Lord  Fauntleroy,"   she  said.      "Sleep  well." 

And  in  the  morning  he  did  not  know  that  he  had  tried  to  open 
his  eyes  and  had  murmured  sleepily,  "Good-night — I'm  so — glad 
—  I  saw  you  — you  are  so  —  pretty " 

He  only  had  a  very  faint  recollection  of  hearing  the  gentlemen 
laugh  again  and  of  wondering  why  they  did  it. 

No  sooner  had  the  last  guest  left  the  room,  than  Mr.  Havisham 
turned  from  his  place  by  the  fire,  and  stepped  nearer  the  sofa,  where 
he  stood  looking  down  at  the  sleeping  occupant.  Little  Lord  Faunt- 
leroy was  taking  his  ease  luxuriously.  One  leg  crossed  the  other 
and  swung  over  the  edge  of  the  sofa ;  one  arm  was  flung  easily 
above  his  head ;  the  warm  flush  of  healthful,  happy,  childish 
sleep  was  on  his  quiet  face ;  his  waving  tangle  of  bright  hair  strayed 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 59 

over  the    yellow    satin    cushion.      He    made   a    picture   well   worth 
looking  at. 

As  Mr.  Havisham  looked  at  it,  he  put  his  hand  up  and  rubbed 
his  shaven  chin,  with  a  harassed  countenance. 

"  Well,  Havisham,"  said  the  Earl's  harsh  voice  behind  him. 
"What  is  it?  It  is  evident  something  has  happened.  What  was 
the  extraordinary  event,  if  I  may  ask  ? " 

Mr.  Havisham  turned  from  the  sofa,  still  rubbing  his  chin. 

"  It  was  bad  news,"  he  answered,  "distressing  news,  my  lord  — 
the  worst  of  news.      I  am  sorry  to  be  the  bearer  of  it." 

The  Earl  had  been  uneasy  for  some  time  during  the  evening,  as 
he  glanced  at  Mr.  Havisham,  and  when  he  was  uneasy  he  was 
always  ill-tempered. 

"  Why  do  you  look  so  at  the  boy ! "  he  exclaimed  irritably. 
"You  have  been  looking  at  him  all  the  evening  as  if — See  here 
now,  why  should  you  look  at  the  boy,  Havisham,  and  hang  over  him 
like  some  bird  of  ill-omen  !  What  has  your  news  to  do  with  Lord 
Fauntleroy  ?  " 

"My  lord,"  said  Mr.  Havisham,  "I  will  waste  no  words.  My 
news  has  everything  to  do  with  Lord  Fauntleroy.  And  if  we  are  to 
believe  it — it  is  not  Lord  Fauntleroy  who  lies  sleeping  before  us,  but 
only  the  son  of  Captain  Errol.  And  the  present  Lord  Fauntleroy  is 
the  son  of  your  son  Bevis,  and  is  at  this  moment  in  a  lodging-house 
in  London." 

The  Earl  clutched  the  arms  of  his  chair  with  both  his  hands 
until  the  veins  stood  out  upon  them ;  the  veins  stood  out  on  his  fore- 
head too ;   his  fierce  old  face  was  almost  livid. 

"  What  do  you  mean  !  "  he  cried  out.  "  You  are  mad  !  Whose 
lie  is  this  ?  " 

"  If  it  is  a  lie,"  answered  Mr.  Havisham,  "it  is  painfully  like  the 
truth.    A  woman  came  to  my  chambers  this  morning.    She  said  your 


160  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

son  Bevis  married  her  six  years  ago  in  London.  She  showed  me  her 
marriage  certificate.  They  quarrelled  a  year  after  the  marriage,  and 
he  paid  her  to  keep  away  from  him.  She  has  a  son  five  years  old. 
She  is  an  American  of  the  lower  classes, — an  ignorant  person, —  and 
until  lately  she  did  not  fully  understand  what  her  son  could  claim. 
She  consulted  a  lawyer  and  found  out  that  the  boy  was  really  Lord 
Fauntleroy  and  the  heir  to  the  earldom  of  Dorincourt ;  and  she,  of 
course,  insists  on  his  claims  being  acknowledged." 

There  was  a  movement  of  the  curly  head  on  the  yellow  satin 
cushion.  A  soft,  long,  sleepy  sigh  came  from  the  parted  lips,  and  the 
little  boy  stirred  in  his  sleep,  but  not  at  all  restlessly  or  uneasily. 
Not  at  all  as  if  his  slumber  were  disturbed  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
being  proved  a  small  impostor  and  that  he  was  not  Lord  Fauntleroy 
at  all  and  never  would  be  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt.  He  only  turned 
his  rosy  face  more  on  its  side,  as  if  to  enable  the  old  man  who  stared 
at  it  so  solemnly  to  see  it  better. 

The  handsome,  grim  old  face  was  ghastly.  A  bitter  smile  fixed 
itself  upon  it. 

"  I  should  refuse  to  believe  a  word  of  it,"  he  said,  "  if  it  were 
not  such  a  low,  scoundrelly  piece  of  business  that  it  becomes  quite 
possible  in  connection  with  the  name  of  my  son  Bevis.  It  is  quite 
like  Bevis.  He  was  always  a  disgrace  to  us.  Always  a  weak, 
untruthful,  vicious  young  brute  with  low  tastes — my  son  and  heir, 
Bevis,  Lord  Fauntleroy.  The  woman  is  an  ignorant,  vulgar  person, 
you  say?  " 

"  I  am  obliged  to  admit  that  she  can  scarcely  spell  her  own 
name,"  answered  the  lawyer.  She  is  absolutely  uneducated  and 
openly  mercenary.  She  cares  for  nothing  but  the  money.  She  is 
very  handsome  in  a  coarse  way.,  but " 

The  fastidious  old  lawyer  ceased  speaking  and  gave  a  sort  of 
shudder. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  161 

The  veins  on  the  old  Earl's  forehead  stood  out  like  purple 
cords.  Something  else  stood  out  upon  it  too — cold  drops  of  moist- 
ure. He  took  out  his  handkerchief  and  swept  them  away.  His  smile 
grew  even  more  bitter. 

"And  I,"  he  said,  "I  objected  to  —  to  the  other  woman,  the 
mother  of  this  child  "  (pointing  to  the  sleeping  form  on  the  sofa)  ; 
u  I  refused  to  recognize  her.  And  yet  she  could  spell  her  own  name. 
I  suppose  this  is  retribution." 

Suddenly  he  sprang  up  from  his  chair  and  began  to  walk  up 
and  down  the  room.  Fierce  and  terrible  words  poured  forth  from 
his  lips.  His  rage  and  hatred  and  cruel  disappointment  shook  him 
as  a  storm  shakes  a  tree.  His  violence  was  something  dreadful  to 
see,  and  yet  Mr.  Havisham  noticed  that  at  the  very  worst  of  his 
wrath  he  never  seemed  to  forget  the  little  sleeping  figure  on  the 
yellow  satin  cushion,  and  that  he  never  once  spoke  loud  enough  to 
awaken  it. 

"  I  might  have  known  it,"  he  said.  "  They  were  a  disgrace  to  me 
from  their  first  hour  !  I  hated  them  both  ;  and  they  hated  me  !  Bevis 
was  the  worse  of  the  two.  I  will  not  believe  this  yet,  though  !  I  will 
contend  against  it  to  the  last.      But  it  is  like  Bevis  —  it  is  like  him  ! "' 

And  then  he  raged  again  and  asked  questions  about  the 
woman,  about  her  proofs,  and  pacing  the  room,  turned  first  white 
and  then  purple  in  his  repressed  fury. 

When  at  last  he  had  learned  all  there  was  to  be  told,  and  knew 
the  worst,  Mr.  Havisham  looked  at  him  with  a  feeling  of  anxiety. 
He  looked  broken  and  haggard  and  changed.  His  rages  had  always 
been  bad  for  him,  but  this  one  had  been  worse  than  the  rest  because 
there  had  been  something  more  than  rage  in  it. 

He  came  slowly  back  to  the  sofa,  at  last,  and  stood  near  it. 
"  If  any  one  had  told  me  I  could  be  fond  of  a  child,"  he  said,  his 
harsh  voice  low  and  unsteady,    "  I  should  not  have  believed  them. 
1 1 


1 62  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

I  always  detested  children  —  my  own  more  than  the  rest.  I  am 
fond  of  this  one;  he  is  fond  of  me  "  (with  a  bitter  smile).  "  I  am 
not  popular ;  I  never  was.  But  he  is  fond  of  me.  He  never  was 
afraid  of  me  —  he  always  trusted  me.  He  would  have  filled  my 
place  better  than  I  have  filled  it.  I  know  that.  He  would  have 
been  an  honor  to  the  name." 

He  bent  down  and  stood  a  minute  or  so  looking  at  the  happy, 
sleeping  face.  His  shaggy  eyebrows  were  knitted  fiercely,  and  yet 
somehow  he  did  not  seem  fierce  at  all.  He  put  up  his  hand, 
pushed  the  bright  hair  back  from  the  forehead,  and  then  turned 
away  and  rang  the  bell. 

When  the  largest  footman  appeared,  he  pointed  to  the  sofa. 
"Take" — he  said,  and  then  his  voice  changed  a  little — "take 
Lord  Fauntleroy  to  his  room." 


XI 

When  Mr.  Hobbs's  young  friend  left  him  to  go  to  Dorin- 
court  Castle  and  become  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  the 
grocery-man  had  time  to  realize  that  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
lay  between  himself  and  the  small  companion  who  had  spent  so 
many  agreeable  hours  in  his  society,  he  really  began  to  feel  very 
lonely  indeed.  The  fact  was,  Mr.  Hobbs  was  not  a  clever  man  nor 
even  a  bright  one ;  he  was,  indeed,  rather  a  slow  and  heavy  person, 
and  he  had  never  made  many  acquaintances.  He  was  not  mentally 
energetic  enough  to  know  how  to  amuse  himself,  and  in  truth  he 
never  did  anything  of  an  entertaining  nature  but  read  the  news- 
papers and  add  up  his  accounts.  It  was  not  very  easy  for  him  to 
add  up  his  accounts,  and  sometimes  it  took  him  a  long  time  to  bring 
them  out  right ;  and  in  the  old  days,  little  Lord  Fauntleroy,  who  had 
learned  how  to  add  up  quite  nicely  with  his  fingers  and  a  slate  and 
pencil,  had  sometimes  even  gone  to  the  length  of  trying  to  help  him  ; 
and,  then  too,  he  had  been  so  good  a  listener  and  had  taken  such  an 
interest  in  what  the  newspaper  said,  and  he  and  Mr.  Hobbs  had  held 
such  long  conversations  about  the  Revolution  and  the  British  and 
the  elections  and  the  Republican  party,  that  it  was  no  wonder  his 
going  left  a  blank  in  the  grocery  store.  At  first  it  seemed  to  Mr. 
Hobbs  that  Cedric  was  not  really  far  away,  and  would  come  back 
again ;  that  some  day  he  would  look  up  from  his  paper  and  see  the 
little  lad  standing  in  the  door-way,  in  his  white  suit  and  red  stockings, 
and  with  his  straw  hat  on  the  back  of  his  head,  and  would  hear  him 

163 


164  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

say  in  his  cheerful  little  voice:  "Hello,  Mr.  Hobbs !  This  is  a 
hot  day — is  n't  it  ? "  But  as  the  days  passed  on  and  this  did  not 
happen,  Mr.  Hobbs  felt  very  dull  and  uneasy.  He  did  not  even 
enjoy  his  newspaper  as  much  as  he  used  to.  He  would  put  the 
paper  down  on  his  knee  after  reading-  it,  and  sit  and  stare  at  the 
high  stool  for  a  long  time.  There  were  some  marks  on  the  long 
legs  which  made  him  feel  quite  dejected  and  melancholy.  They 
were  marks  made  by  the  heels  of  the  next  Earl  of  Dorincourt,  when 
he  kicked  and  talked  at  the  same  time.  It  seems  that  even  youth- 
ful earls  kick  the  legs  of  things  they  sit  on ;  —  noble  blood  and  lofty 
lineage  do  not  prevent  it.  After  looking  at  those  marks,  Mr.  Hobbs 
would  take  out  his  gold  watch  and  open  it  and  stare  at  the  inscrip- 
tion :  "  From  his  oldest  friend,  Lord  Fauntleroy,  to  Mr.  Hobbs. 
When  this  you  see,  remember  me."  And  after  staring  at  it  awhile, 
he  would  shut  it  up  with  a  loud  snap,  and  sigh  and  get  up 
and  go  and  stand  in  the  door-way — between  the  box  of  potatoes 
and  the  barrel  of  apples —  and  look  up  the  street.  At  night,  when 
the  store  was  closed,  he  would  light  his  pipe  and  walk  slowly 
along  the  pavement  until  he  reached  the  house  where  Cedric  had 
lived,  on  which  there  was  a  sign  that  read,  "This  House  to  Let"; 
and  he  would  stop  near  it  and  look  up  and  shake  his  head,  and 
puff  at  his  pipe  very  hard,  and  after  a  while  walk  mournfully 
back  again. 

This  went  on  for  two  or  three  weeks  before  any  new  idea  came 
to  him.  Being  slow  and  ponderous,  it  always  took  him  a  long  time  to 
reach  a  new  idea.  As  a  rule,  he  did  not  like  new  ideas,  but  preferred 
old  ones.  After  two  or  three  weeks,  however,  during  which,  instead 
of  getting  better,  matters  really  grew  worse,  a  novel  plan  slowly 
and  deliberately  dawned  upon  him.  He  would  go  to  see  Dick. 
He  smoked  a  great  many  pipes  before  he  arrived  at  the  conclusion, 
but    finally  he  did   arrive  at  it.      He  would  go  to  see  Dick.      He 


LITTLE    LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 65 

knew  all  about  Dick.  Cedric  had  told  him,  and  his  idea  was  that 
perhaps  Dick  might  be  some  comfort  to  him  in  the  way  of  talking 
things  over. 

So  one  day  when  Dick  was  very  hard  at  work  blacking  a  cus- 
tomer's boots,  a  short,  stout  man  with  a  heavy  face  and  a  bald  head 
stopped  on  the  pavement  and  stared  for  two  or  three  minutes  at  the 
bootblack's  sign,  which  read  : 

"  Professor  Dick  Tipton 
Can't  be  Beat." 

He  stared  at  it  so  long  that  Dick  began  to  take  a  lively  interest 
in  him,  and  when  he  had  put  the  finishing  touch  to  his  customer's 
boots,  he  said  : 

"  Want  a  shine,  sir  ?  " 
The  stout  man  came  forward  deliberately  and  put  his  foot  on 
the  rest. 

"Yes,"  he  said. 
Then  when  Dick  fell  to  work,  the  stout  man  looked  from  Dick 
to  the  sign  and  from  the  sign  to  Dick. 

"  Where  did  you  get  that?  "  he  asked. 

"From  a  friend  o'  mine,"  said  Dick, — "a  little  feller.  He  guv' 
me  the  whole  outfit.  He  was  the  best  little  feller  ye  ever  saw.  He  's 
in  England  now.      Gone  to  be  one  o'  them  lords." 

"Lord  —  Lord — "asked   Mr.  Hobbs,    with  ponderous   slowness, 
"  Lord  Fauntleroy  —  Goin'  to  be  Earl  of  Dorincourt?" 
Dick  almost  dropped  his  brush. 

"  Why,  boss  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  d'  ye  know  him  yerself  ?  " 

"  I  've  known  him,"  answered  Mr.  Hobbs,  wiping  his  warm  fore- 
head, "ever  since  he  was  born.  We  was  lifetime  acquaintances — ■ 
that  's  what  we  was." 


1 66 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


It  really  made  him  feel  quite  agitated  to  speak  of  it.  He  pulled 
the  splendid  gold  watch  out  of  his  pocket  and  opened  it,  and  showed 
the  inside  of  the  case  to  Dick. 

«  <  When  this  you  see,  remem- 
ber me,'"  he  read.  "That  was  his 
parting  keepsake  to  me  '  I  don't 
want  you  to  forget  me  ' —  those 
was  his  words  ■ — I  'd  ha'  remem- 


bered him,"  he 
went  on,  shak- 
ing his  head,  "if 
he  had  n't  given 
me  a  thing,  an' 
I  had  n't  seen 
hide  nor  hair  on 
him  again.      He  was  a  companion  as  any  man  would  remember." 

"  He  was  the  nicest  little  feller  I  ever  see,"  said  Dick.      "  An'  as  to 
sand  —  I  never  seen  so  much  sand  to  a  little  feller.      I  thought  a 


!WHY,   BOSS!  "    EXCLAIMED    DICK,  "DO   YOU   KNOW 
HIM    YOURSELF  ?  " 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 67 

heap  o'  him,  I  did, —  an'  we  was  friends,  too  —  we  was  sort  o'  chums 
from  the  fust,  that  little  young  un  an'  me.  I  grabbed  his  ball  from 
under  a  stage  fur  him,  an'  he  never  forgot  it ;  an'  he  'd  come  down 
here,  he  would,  with  his  mother  or  his  nuss  and  he  'd  holler : 
'  Hello,  Dick ! '  at  me,  as  friendly  as  if  he  was  six  feet  high,  when  he 
war  n't  knee  high  to  a  grasshopper,  and  was  dressed  in  gal's 
clo'es.  He  was  a  gay  little  chap,  and  when  you  was  down  on  your 
luck,  it  did  you  good  to  talk  to  him." 

"  That  's  so,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs.  "  It  was  a  pity  to  make  a  earl 
out  of  him.  He  would  have  shone  in  the  grocery  business  —  or  dry 
goods  either  ;  he  would  have  shone  /  "  And  he  shook  his  head  with 
deeper  regret  than  ever. 

It  proved  that  they  had  so  much  to  say  to  each  other  that  it 
was  not  possible  to  say  it  all  at  one  time,  and  so  it  was  agreed  that 
the  next  night  Dick  should  make  a  visit  to  the  store  and  keep  Mr. 
Hobbs  company.  The  plan  pleased  Dick  well  enough.  He  had  been 
a  street  waif  nearly  all  his  life,  but  he  had  never  been  a  bad  boy,  and 
he  had  always  had  a  private  yearning  for  a  more  respectable  kind  of 
existence.  Since  he  had  been  in  business  for  himself,  he  had  made 
enough  money  to  enable  him  to  sleep  under  a  roof  instead  of  out  in 
the  streets,  and  he  had  begun  to  hope  he  might  reach  even  a  higher 
plane,  in  time.  So,  to  be  invited  to  call  on  a  stout,  respectable  man 
who  owned  a  corner  store,  and  even  had  a  horse  and  wagon,  seemed 
to  him  quite  an  event. 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  earls  and  castles?"  Mr.  Hobbs 
inquired.      "  I  'd  like  to  know  more  of  the  particklars." 

"  There  's  a  story  about  some  on  'em  in  the  Penny  Story 
Gazette"  said  Dick.  "It  's  called  the  'Crime  of  a  Coronet;  or,  The 
Revenge  of  the  Countess  May.'  It  's  a  boss  thing,  too.  Some  of 
us  boys  're  takin'  it  to  read." 

"  Bring  it  up  when  you  come,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs,  "an'  I  '11  pay  for 
it.      Bring  all  you  can  find  that  have  any  earls  in  'em.     If  there  are 


1 68  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

n't  earls,  markises  '11  do,  or  dooks  —  though  he  never  made  mention 
of  any  dooks  or  markises.  We  did  go  over  coronets  a  little,  but  I 
never  happened  to  see  any.  I  guess  they  don't  keep  'em  'round 
here."  * 

"Tiffany  'd  have  'em  if  anybody  did,"  said  Dick,  "but  I  don't 
know  as  I  'd  know  one  if  I  saw  it." 

Mr.  Hobbs  did  not  explain  that  he  would  not  have  known  one 
if  he  saw  it.      He  merely  shook  his  head  ponderously. 

"  I  s'pose  there  is  very  little  call  for  'em,"  he  said,  and  that  ended 
the  matter. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  quite  a  substantial  friendship.  When 
Dick  went  up  to  the  store,  Mr.  Hobbs  received  him  with  great 
hospitality.  He  gave  him  a  chair  tilted  against  the  door,  near  a 
barrel  of  apples,  and  after  his  young  visitor  was  seated,  he  made  a 
jerk  at  them  with  the  hand  in  which  he  held  his  pipe,  saying : 

"  Help  yerself." 
Then  he  looked  at  the  story  papers,  and  after  that  they   read 
and  discussed  the  British  aristocracy  ;    and  Mr.  Hobbs  smoked  his 
pipe  very  hard  and  shook  his  head  a  great  deal.      He  shook  it  most 
when  he  pointed  out  the  high  stool  with  the  marks  on  its  legs. 

"  There  's  his  very  kicks,"  he  said  impressively  ;  "  his  very  kicks. 
I  sit  and  look  at  'em  by  the  hour.  This  is  a  world  of  ups  an'  it  's  a 
world  of  downs.  Why,  he  'd  set  there,  an'  eat  crackers  out  of  a 
box,  an'  apples  out  of  a  barrel,  an'  pitch  his  cores  into  the  street ; 
an'  now  he  's  a  lord  a-livin'  in  a  castle.  Them's  a  lord's  kicks; 
they  '11  be  a  earl's  kicks  some  day.  Sometimes  I  says  to  myself, 
says  I,  '  Well,  I  '11  be  jiggered  ! '  " 

He  seemed  to  derive  a  great  deal  of  comfort  from  his  reflections 
and  Dick's  visit.  Before  Dick  went  home,  they  had  a  supper  in  the 
small  back-room ;  they  had  crackers  and  cheese  and  sardines, 
and  other  canned  things  out  of  the  store,  and  Mr.  Hobbs  solemnly 


LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  1 69 

opened  two  bottles  of  ginger  ale,  and  pouring  out  two  glasses,  pro- 
posed a  toast. 

"  Here  's  to  him  /  "  he  said,  lifting  his  glass,  "  an'  may  he  teach 
'em  a  lesson  —  earls  an'  markises  an'  dooks  an'  all !  " 

After  that  night,  the  two  saw  each  other  often,  and  Mr.  Hobbs 
was  much  more  comfortable  and  less  desolate.  They  read  the 
Penny  Story  Gazette,  and  many  other  interesting  things,  and  gained 
a  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  the  nobility  and  gentry  which  would 
have  surprised  those  despised  classes  if  they  had  realized  it.  One 
day  Mr.  Hobbs  made  a  pilgrimage  to  a  book  store  down  town,  for 
the  express  purpose  of  adding  to  their  library.  He  went  to  the  clerk 
and  leaned  over  the  counter  to  speak  to  him. 

'  I  want,"  he  said,  "  a  book  about  earls." 

'  What !  "  exclaimed  the  clerk. 

"  A  book,"  repeated  the  grocery-man,  "about  earls." 

"  I  'm  afraid,"  said  the  clerk,  looking  rather  queer,  "  that  we  have 
n't  what  you  want." 

"Have  n't?"  said  Mr.   Hobbs,  anxiously.      "Well,  say  markises 
then  —  or  dooks." 

"  I  know  of  no  such  book,"  answered  the  clerk. 
Mr.    Hobbs   was   much   disturbed.       He   looked   down   on   the 
floor, —  then  he  looked  up. 

"  None  about  female  earls  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  I  'm  afraid  not,"  said  the  clerk  with  a  smile. 

"  Well,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Hobbs,  "  1  '11  be  jiggered  !  " 
He  was  just  going  out  of  the  store,  when  the  clerk  called  him 
back  and  asked  him  if  a  story  in  which  the  nobility  were  chief  char- 
acters would  do.  Mr.  Hobbs  said  it  would  —  if  he  could  not  get  an 
entire  volume  devoted  to  earls.  So  the  clerk  sold  him  a  book  called 
"The  Tower  of  London,"  written  by  Mr.  Harrison  Ainsworth,  and 
he  carried  it  home. 


170  LITTLE  LORD  EAUNTLEROY. 


When  Dick  came  they  began  to  read  it.  It  was  a  very  wonderful 
and  exciting  book,  and  the  scene  was  laid  in  the  reign  of  the  famous 
English  queen  who  is  called  by  some  people  Bloody  Mary.  And  as 
Mr.  Hobbs  heard  of  Queen  Mary's  deeds  and  the  habit  she  had  of 
chopping  people's  heads  off,  putting  them  to  the  torture,  and  burn- 
ing them  alive,  he  became  very  much  excited.  He  took  his  pipe  out 
of  his  mouth  and  stared  at  Dick,  and  at  last  he  was  obliged  to  mop 
the  perspiration  from  his  brow  with  his  red  pocket  handkerchief. 

"  Why,  he  aint  safe  !  "  he  said.  "  He  aint  safe  !  If  the  women 
folks  can  sit  up  on  their  thrones  an'  give  the  word  for  things  like 
that  to  be  done,  who  's  to  know  what  's  happening  to  him  this  very 
minute?  He  's  no  more  safe  than  nothing!  Just  let  a  woman  like 
that  get  mad,  an'  no  one  's  safe  ! " 

"  Well,"  said  Dick,  though  he  looked  rather  anxious  himself;  "ye 
see  this  'ere  un  is  n't  the  one  that  's  bossin'  things  now.  I  know  her 
name  's  Victory,  an'  this  un  here  in  the  book,  her  name  's  Mary." 

"  So  it  is,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs,  still  mopping  his  forehead  ;    "so  it  is. 
An'  the  newspapers  are  not  sayin'  anything  about  any  racks,  thumb 
screws,  or  stake-burnin's, —  but  still  it  does  n't  seem  as  if  't  was  safe 
for  him  over  there  with  those  queer  folks.     Why,  they  tell  me  they 
don't  keep  the  Fourth  o'  July  !  " 

He  was  privately  uneasy  for  several  days ;  and  it  was  not  until 
he  received  Fauntleroy's  letter  and  had  read  it  several  times,  both 
to  himself  and  to  Dick,  and  had  also  read  the  letter  Dick  o-ot  about 
the  same  time,  that  he  became  composed  again. 

But  they  both  found  great  pleasure  in  their  letters.  They  read 
and  re-read  them,  and  talked  them  over  and  enjoyed  every  word  of 
them.  And  they  spent  days  over  the  answers  they  sent  and  read 
them  over  almost  as  often  as  the  letters  they  had  received. 

It  was  rather  a  labor  for  Dick  to  write  his.  All  his  knowledge  of 
reading  and  writing  he  had  gained  during  a  few  months,  when  he 


LITTLE  LORD  FA  UN  TLB  ROY.  171 

had  lived  with  his  elder  brother,  and  had  gone  to  a  night-school ; 
but,  being  a  sharp  boy,  he  had  made  the  most  of  that  brief  educa- 
tion, and  had  spelled  out  things  in  newspapers  since  then,  and  prac- 
ticed writing  with  bits  of  chalk  on  pavements  or  walls  or  fences.  He 
told  Mr.  Hobbs  all  about  his  life  and  about  his  elder  brother,  who 
had  been  rather  good  to  him  after  their  mother  died,  when  Dick 
was  quite  a  little  fellow.  Their  father  had  died  some  time  before. 
The  brother's  name  was  Ben,  and  he  had  taken  care  of  Dick  as 
well  as  he  could,  until  the  boy  was  old  enough  to  sell  newspapers 
and  run  errands.  They  had  lived  together,  and  as  he  grew  older 
Ben  had  managed  to  get  along  until  he  had  quite  a  decent  place 
in  a  store. 

"  And  then,"  exclaimed  Dick  with  disgust,  "  blest  if  he  did  n't  go 
an'  marry  a  gal !  Just  went  and  got  spoony  an'  had  n't  any  more 
sense  left !  Married  her,  an'  set  up  housekeepin'  in  two  back  rooms. 
An'  a  hefty  un  she  was, —  a  regular  tiger-cat.  She  'd  tear  things  to 
pieces  when  she  got  mad, — and  she  was  mad  all  the  time.  Had  a 
baby  just  like  her, — yell  day  'n'  night !  An'  if  I  did  n't  have  to 
^tend  it !  an'  when  it  screamed,  she  'd  fire  things  at  me.  She  fired  a 
plate  at  me  one  day,  an'  hit  the  baby  —  cut  its  chin.  Doctor  said 
he  'd  carry  the  mark  till  he  died.  A  nice  mother  she  was  !  Crackey  ! 
but  did  n't  we  have  a  time — Ben  'n'  mehself  'n'  the  young  un.  She 
was  mad  at  Ben  because  he  did  n't  make  money  faster ;  'n'  at  last 
he  went  out  West  with  a  man  to  set  up  a  cattle  ranch.  An'  had  n't 
been  gone  a  week  'fore  one  night,  I  got  home  from  sellin'  my  papers, 
'n'  the  rooms  wus  locked  up  'n'  empty,  'n'  the  woman  o'  the  house, 
she  told  me  Minna  'd  gone  —  shown  a  clean  pair  o'  heels.  Some  un 
else  said  she  'd  gone  across  the  water  to  be  nuss  to  a  lady  as  had  a 
little  baby,  too.  Never  heard  a  word  of  her  since  —  nuther  has 
Ben.  If  I  'd  ha'  bin  him,  I  would  n't  ha'  fretted  a  bit  —  'n'  I  guess 
lie  did  n't.      But  he  thought  a  heap  o'  her  at  the  start.     Tell  you,  he 


172  LITTLE  LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

was  spoons  on  her.  She  was  a  daisy-lookin'  gal,  too,  when  she  was 
dressed  up  'n'  not  mad.  She  'd  big  black  eyes  'n'  black  hair  down  to 
her  knees ;  she  'd  make  it  into  a  rope  as  big  as  your  arm,  and  twist 
it  'round  'n'  'round  her  liead  ;  'n'  1  tell  you  her  eyes  'd  snap  !  Folks 
used  to  say  she  was  part  /tali-un  —  said  her  mother  or  father  'd  come 
from  there,  'n'  it  made  her  queer.  I  tell  ye,  she  was  one  of  'em  — 
she  was ! " 

He  often  told  Mr.  Hobbs  stories  of  her  and  of  his  brother  Ben, 
who,  since  his  going  out  West,  had  written  once  or  twice  to  Dick. 
Ben's  luck  had  not  been  good,  and  he  had  wandered  from  place  to 
place ;  but  at  last  he  had  settled  on  a  ranch  in  California,  where  he 
was  at  work  at  the  time  when  Dick  became  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Hobbs. 

"  That  gal,"  said  Dick  one  day,  "  she  took  all  the  grit  out  o'  him. 
I  could  n't  help  feelin'  sorry  for  him  sometimes." 

They  were  sitting  in  the  store  door-way  together,  and  Mr. 
Hobbs  was  filling  his  pipe. 

"  He  ought  n't  to  've  married,"  he  said  solemnly,  as  he  rose  to 
get  a  match.  "Women — I  never  could  see  any  use  in  'em, 
myself." 

As  he  took  the  match  from  its  box,  he  stopped  and  looked  down 
on  the  counter. 

"  Why  !  "  he  said,  "  if  here  is  n't  a  letter  !  I  did  n't  see  it  before. 
The  postman  must  have  laid  it  down  when  I  was  n't  noticin',  or  the 
newspaper  slipped  over  it." 

He  picked  it  up  and  looked  at  it  carefully. 

"It  's  from  him!"  he  exclaimed.  "That  's  the  very  one  it  's 
from  ! " 

He  forgot  his  pipe  altogether.  He  went  back  to  his  chair  quite 
excited  and  took  his  pocket-knife  and  opened  the  envelope. 

"  I  wonder  what  news  there  is  this  time,"  he  said. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  I  73. 

And  then  he  unfolded  the  letter  and  read  as  follows : 

"  Dorincourt  Castle 
"  My  dear  Mi-.  Hobbs 

"  I  write  this  in  a  great  hury  becaus  i  have  something  curous  to  tell  you  i  know  you 
will  be  very  mutch  suprised  my  dear  frend  when  i  tel  you.  It  is  all  a  mistake  and  i 
am  not  a  lord  and  i  shall  not  have  to  be  an  earl  there  is  a  lady  whitch  was  marid  to 
my  uncle  bevis  who  is  dead  and  she  has  a  little  boy  and  he  is  lord  fauntleroy  becaus 
that  is  the  way  it  is  in  England  the  earls  eldest  sons  little  boy  is  the  earl  if  every  body 
else  is  dead  i  mean  if  his  farther  and  grandfarther  are  dead  my  grandfarther  is  not  dead  but 
my  uncle  bevis  is  and  so  his  boy  is  lord  Fauntleroy  and  i  am  not  becaus  my  papa  was 
the  youngest  son  and  my  name  is  Cedric  Errol  like  it  was  when  i  was  in  New  York 
and  all  the  things  will  belong  to  the  other  boy  i  thought  at  first  i  should  have  to  give 
him  my  pony  and  cart  but  my  grandfarther  says  i  need  not  my  grandfarther  is  very 
sorry  and  i  think  he  does  not  like  the  lady  but  preaps  he  thinks  dearest  and  i  are  sorry 
because  i  shall  not  be  an  earl  i  would  like  to  be  an  earl  now  better  than  i  thout  i  would 
at  first  becaus  this  is  a  beautifle  castle  and  i  like  every  body  so  and  when  you  are  rich 
you  can  do  so  many  things  i  am  not  rich  now  becaus  when  your  papa  is  only  the 
youngest  son  he  is  not  very  rich  i  am  going  to  learn  to  work  so  that  i  can  take  care  of 
dearest  i  have  been  asking  Wilkins  about  grooming  horses  preaps  i  might  be  a  groom 
or  a  coachman,  the  lady  brought  her  little  boy  to  the  castle  and  my  grandfarther  and 
Mr.  Havisham  talked  to  her  i  think  she  was  angry  she  talked  loud  and  my  grandfarther 
was  angry  too  i  never  saw  him  angry  before  i  wish  it  did  not  make  them  all  mad  i  thort 
i  would  tell  you  and  Dick  right  away  becaus  you  would  be  intrusted  so  no  more  at 
present  with  love  from 

"your  old  frend  "Cedric  Errol  (Not  lord  Fauntleroy)." 

Mr.  Hobbs  fell  back  in  his  chair,  the  letter  dropped  on  his 
knee,  his  pen-knife  slipped  to  the  floor,  and  so  did  the  envelope. 
"  Well !  "  he  ejaculated,  "  I  am  jiggered  !  " 
He  was  so  dumfounded  that  he  actually  changed  his  exclama- 
tion. It  had  always  been  his  habit  to  say,  "I  zvill  be  jiggered," 
but  this  time  he  said,  "  I  am  jiggered."  Perhaps  he  really  was  jig- 
gered.    There  is  no  knowing. 

"  Well,"  said  Dick,  "  the  whole  thing  's  bust  up,  has  n't  it?  " 


174  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

"  Bust!  "  said  Mr.  Hobbs.  "  It  's  my  opinion  it  's  a  put-up  job 
o'  the  British  'ristycrats  to  rob  him  of  his  rights  because  he  's  an 
American.  They  've  had  a  spite  agin  us  ever  since  the  Revolution, 
an'  they  're  takin'  it  out  on  him.  I  told  you  he  was  n't  safe,  an' 
see  what  's  happened  !  Like  as  not,  the  whole  gover'ment  's  got 
together  to  rob  him  of  his  lawful  ownin's." 

He  was  very  much  agitated.  He  had  not  approved  of  the 
change  in  his  young  friend's  circumstances  at  first,  but  lately  he  had 
become  more  reconciled  to  it,  and  after  the  receipt  of  Cedric's  letter 
hs  had  perhaps  even  felt  some  secret  pride  in  his  young  friend's 
magnificence.  He  might  not  have  a  good  opinion  of  earls,  but  he 
knew  that  even  in  America  money  was  considered  rather  an  agree- 
able thing,  and  if  all  the  wealth  and  grandeur  were  to  go  with  the 
title,  it  must  be  rather  hard  to  lose  it. 

"They  're  trying  to  rob  him  !  "  he  said,  "  that  's  what  they  're 
doing,  and  folks  that  have  money  ought  to  look  after  him." 

And  he  kept  Dick  with  him  until  quite  a  late  hour  to  talk  it 
over,  and  when  that  young  man  left,  he  went  with  him  to  the  corner 
of  the  street ;  and  on  his  way  back  he  stopped  opposite  the  empty 
house  for  some  time,  staring  at  the  "To  Let,"  and  smoking  his  pipe, 
in  much  disturbance  of  mind. 


A 


XII 

very  few  days  after  the  dinner  party  at  the  Castle,  almost, 
everybody  in  England  who  read  the  newspapers  at  all  knew 
the  romantic  story  of  what  had  happened  at  Dorincourt.  It 
made  a  very  interesting  story  when  it  was  told  with  all  the  details. 
There  was  the  little  American  boy  who  had  been  brought  to  Eng- 
land to  be  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  who  was  said  to  be  so  fine  and 
handsome  a  little  fellow,  and  to  have  already  made  people  fond  of 
him ;  there  was  the  old  Earl,  his  grandfather,  who  was  so  proud  of 
his  heir ;  there  was  the  pretty  young  mother  who  had  never  been 
forgiven  for  marrying  Captain  Errol ;  and  there  was  the  strange 
marriage  of  Bevis,  the  dead  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  the  strange  wife, 
of  whom  no  one  knew  anything,  suddenly  appearing  with  her  son, 
and  saying  that  he  was  the  real  Lord  Fauntleroy  and  must  have  his 
rights.  All  these  things  were  talked  about  and  written  about,  and 
caused  a  tremendous  sensation.  And  then  there  came  the  rumor 
that  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt  was  not  satisfied  with  the  turn  affairs 
had  taken,  and  would  perhaps  contest  the  claim  by  law,  and  the 
matter  might  end  with  a  wonderful  trial. 

There  never  had  been  such  excitement  before  in  the  county 
in  which  Erleboro  was  situated.  On  market-days,  people  stood  in 
groups  and  talked  and  wondered  what  would  be  done ;  the  farmers' 
wives  invited  one  another  to  tea  that  they  might  tell  one  another  all 
they  had  heard  and  all  they  thought  and  all  they  thought  other 
people  thought.     They  related  wonderful  anecdotes  about  the  Earl's 


176  LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 

rage  and  his  determination  not  to  acknowledge  the  new  Lord 
Fauntleroy,  and  his  hatred  of  the  woman  who  was  the  claimant's 
mother.  But,  of  course,  it  was  Mrs.  Dibble  who  could  tell  the  most, 
and  who  was  more  in^  demand  than  ever. 

"  An'  a  bad  lookout  it  is,"  she  said.  "■  An'  if  you  were  to  ask  me, 
ma'am,  I  should  say  as  it  was  a  judgment  on  him  for  the  way  he  's 
treated  that  sweet  young  cre'tur'  as  he  parted  from  her  child, —  for 
he  's  got  that  fond  of  him  an'  that  set  on  him  an'  that  proud  of  him 
as  he  's  a'most  drove  mad  by  what  's  happened.  An'  what  's  more, 
this  new  one  's  no  lady,  as  his  little  lordship's  ma  is.  She  's  a  bold- 
faced, black-eyed  thing,  as  Mr.  Thomas  says  no  gentleman  in  livery 
'u'd  bemean  hisself  to  be  gave  orders  by ;  and  let  her  come  into  the 
house,  he  says,  an'  he  goes  out  of  it.  An'  the  boy  don't  no  more 
compare  with  the  other  one  than  nothin'  you  could  mention.  An' 
mercy  knows  what  's  goin'  to  come  of  it  all,  an'  where  it  's  to  end,  an' 
you  might  have  knocked  me  down  with  a  feather  when  Jane  brought 
the  news." 

In  fact  there  was  excitement  everywhere  at  the  Castle :  in  the 
library,  where  the  Earl  and  Mr.  Havisham  sat  and  talked  ;  in  the 
servants'  hall,  where  Mr.  Thomas  and  the  butler  and  the  other  men 
and  women  servants  gossiped  and  exclaimed  at  all  times  of  the  day ; 
and  in  the  stables,  where  Wilkins  went  about  his  work  in  a  quite 
depressed  state  of  mind,  and  groomed  the  brown  pony  more  beauti- 
fully than  ever,  and  said  mournfully  to  the  coachman  that  he  "  never 
taught  a  young  gen'leman  to  ride  as  took  to  it  more  nat'ral,  or  was 
a  better-plucked  one  than  he  was.  He  was  a  one  as  it  were  some 
pleasure  to  ride  behind." 

But  in  the  midst  of  all  the  disturbance  there  was  one  person  who 
was  quite  calm  and  untroubled.  That  person  was  the  little  Lord 
Fauntleroy  who  was  said  not  to  be  Lord  Fauntleroy  at  all.  When 
first  the  state  of  affairs  had  been  explained  to  him,  he  had  felt  some 


"'SHALL   I    BE   YOUR   BOY,    EVEN   IF   I  'M    NOT   GOING   TO   BE   AN   EARL?'    SAID    CEDRIC." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  179 

little  anxiousness  and  perplexity,  it  is  true,  but  its  foundation  was 
not  in  baffled  ambition. 

While  the  Earl  told  him  what  had  happened,  he  had  sat  on  a 
stool  holding  on  to  his  knee,  as  he  so  often  did  when  he  was  listen- 
ing to  anything  interesting ;  and  by  the  time  the  story  was  finished 
he  looked  quite  sober. 

"It  makes  me  feel  very  queer,"  he  said;  "it  makes  me  feel  — 
queer ! " 

The  Earl  looked  at  the  boy  in  silence.  It  made  him  feel  queer, 
too — queerer  than  he  had  ever  felt  in  his  whole  life.  And  he  felt  more 
queer  still  when  he  saw  that  there  was  a  troubled  expression  on  the 
small  face  which  was  usually  so  happy. 

"Will  they  take  Dearest's  house  from  her  — and  her  carriage?" 
Cedric  asked  in  a  rather  unsteady,  anxious  little  voice. 

"No/"  said  the  Earl  decidedly  —  in  quite  a  loud  voice,  in  fact. 
"They  can  take  nothing  from  her." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Cedric,  with  evident  relief.      "  Can't  they?  " 
Then  he  looked  up  at  his  grandfather,  and  there  was  a  wistful 
shade  in  his  eyes,  and  they  looked  very  big  and  soft. 

"That  other  boy,"  he  said  rather  tremulously — "he  will  have 
to  —  to  be  your  boy  now  —  as  I  was  —  wont  he  ?  " 

"  NoJ"  answered  the  Earl — and  he  said  it  so  fiercely  and  loudly 
that  Cedric  quite  jumped. 

"  No  ?"  he  exclaimed,  in  wonderment.  "Wont  he?   I  thought " 

He  stood  up  from  his  stool  quite  suddenly. 

"  Shall  I  be  your  boy,  even  if  I  'm  not  going  to  be  an  earl  ? " 
he  said.  "  Shall  I  be  your  boy,  just  as  I  was  before  ?  "  And  his 
flushed  little  face  was  all  alight  with  eagerness. 

How  the  old  Earl  did  look  at  him  from  head  to  foot,  to  be  sure  ! 
How  his  great  shaggy  brows  did  draw  themselves  together,  and 
how  queerly  his  deep  eyes  shone  under  them  —  how  very  queerly  ! 


l8o  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

"  My  boy ! "  he  said — and,  if  you  '11  believe  it.  his  very  voice 
was  queer,  almost  shaky  and  a  little  broken  and  hoarse,  not  at  all 
what  you  would  expect  an  Earl's  voice  to  be,  though  he  spoke  more 
decidedly  and  peremptorily  even  than  before, —  "  Yes,  you  '11  be  my 
boy  as  long  as  1  live  ;  and,  by  George,  sometimes  I  feel  as  if  you 
were  the  only  boy  1  had  ever  had." 

Cedric's  face  turned  red  to  the  roots  of  his  hair ;  it  turned  red 
with  relief  and  pleasure.  He  put  both  his  hands  deep  into  his 
pockets  and  looked  squarely  into  his  noble  relative's  eyes. 

"Do  you?"  he  said.  "Well,  then,  I  don't  care  about  the  earl 
part  at  all.  I  don't  care  whether  I'm  an  earl  or  not.  I  thought  — 
you  see,  I  thought  the  one  that  was  going  to  be  the  Earl  would 
have  to  be  your  boy,  too,  and — and  I  could  n't  be.  That  was  what 
made  me  feel  so  queer." 

The  Earl  put  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  drew  him  nearer. 
"  They  shall  take  nothing  from  you  that  I  can  hold  for  you,"  he 
said,  drawing  his  breath  hard.  "  I  wont  believe  yet  that  they  can 
take  anything  from  you.  You  were  made  for  the  place,  and  —  well, 
you  may  fill  it  still.  But  whatever  comes,  you  shall  have  all  that  I 
can  give  you  —  all !  " 

It  scarcely  seemed  as  if  he  were  speaking  to  a  child,  there  was 
such  determination  in  his  face  and  voice ;  it  was  more  as  if  he  were 
making  a  promise  to  himself — and  perhaps  he  was. 

He  had  never  before  known  how  deep  a  hold  upon  him  his 
fondness  for  the  boy  and  his  pride  in  him  had  taken.  He  had  never 
seen  his  strength  and  good  qualities  and  beauty  as  he  seemed  to  see 
them  now.  To  his  obstinate  nature  it  seemed  impossible — more 
than  impossible — to  give  up  what  he  had  so  set  his  heart  upon.  And 
he  had  determined  that  he  would  not  give  it  up  without  a  fierce 
struggle. 

Within  a  few  days  after  she  had  seen  Mr.  Havisham,  the 
woman  who  claimed  to  be  Lady  Fauntleroy  presented  herself  at  the 


LITTLE   LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


ISI 


Castle,  and  brought  her  child  with  her.  She  was  sent  away.  The 
Earl  would  not  see  her,  she  was  told  by  the  footman  at  the  door;  his 
lawyer  would  attend  to  her  case.  It  was  Thomas  who  gave  the 
message,  and  who  expressed  his  opinion  of  her  freely  afterward,  in 
the  servants'  hall.  He  "hoped,"  he  said,  "as  he  had  wore  livery  in 
'igh  famblies  long  enough 
to  know  a  lady  when  he 
see  one,  an'  if  that  was  a 
lady  he  was  no  judge  o' 
females." 

"  The  one  at  the  Lodge," 
added  Thomas  loftily, 
"'Merican  or  no  'Merican, 
she  's  one  o'  the  right  sort, 
as  any  gentleman  'u'd  rec- 
kinize  with  'alf  a  heve.  I 
remarked  it  myself  to 
Henery  when  fust  we 
called  there." 

The  woman  drove 
away ;  the  look  on  her 
handsome,  common  face 
half  frightened,  half  fierce. 
Mr.  Havisham  had  noticed, 
during  his  interviews  with 
her,  that  though  she  had 
a  passionate  temper,  and  a  coarse,  insolent  manner,  she  was  neither  so 
clever  nor  so  bold  as  she  meant  to  be ;  she  seemed  sometimes  to  be 
almost  overwhelmed  by  the  position  in  which  she  had  placed  herself. 
It  was  as  if  she  had  not  expected  to  meet  with  such  opposition. 

"She   is   evidently,"   the  lawyer  said  to  Mrs.  Errol,    "a   person 
from  the  lower  walks  of  life.     She  is  uneducated  and  untrained  in 


SHE   WAS   TOLD   BY   THE   FOOTMAN   AT  THE   DOOR 
THAT   THE    EARL   WOULD    NOT   SEE   HER. 


152  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

everything,  and  quite  unused  to  meeting  people  like  ourselves 
on  any  terms  of  equality.  She  does  not  know  what  to  do.  Her 
visit  to  the  Castle  quite  cowed  her.  She  was  infuriated,  but  she 
was  cowed.  The  Earl  would  not  receive  her,  but  I  advised  him 
to  go  with  me  to  the  Dorincourt  Arms,  where  she  is  staying. 
When  she  saw  him  enter  the  room,  she  turned  white,  though  she 
flew  into  a  rage  at  once,  and  threatened  and  demanded  in  one 
breath." 

The  fact  was  that  the  Earl  had  stalked  into  the  room  and 
stood,  looking  like  a  venerable  aristocratic  giant,  staring  at  the 
woman  from  under  his  beetling  brows,  and  not  condescending 
a  word.  He  simply  stared  at  her,  taking  her  in  from  head  to 
foot  as  if  she  were  some  repulsive  curiosity.  He  let  her  talk  and 
demand  until  she  was  tired,  without  himself  uttering  a  word,  and 
then  he  said  : 

"  You  say  3^ou  are  my  eldest  son's  wife.  If  that  is  true,  and  if 
the  proof  you  offer  is  too  much  for  us,  the  law  is  on  your  side.  In 
that  case,  your  boy  is  Lord  Fauntleroy.  The  matter  will  be  sifted  to 
the  bottom,  you  may  rest  assured.  If  your  claims  are  proved,  you 
will  be  provided  for.  I  want  to  see  nothing  of  either  you  or  the 
child  so  long  as  I  live.  The  place  will  unfortunately  have  enough 
of  you  after  my  death.  You  are  exactly  the  kind  of  person  I  should 
have  expected  my  son  Bevis  to  choose." 

And  then  he  turned  his  back  upon  her  and  stalked  out  of  the 
room  as  he  had  stalked  into  it. 

Not  many  days  after  that,  a  visitor  was  announced  to  Mrs. 
Errol,  who  was  writing  in  her  little  morning  room.  The  maid,  who 
brought  the  message,  looked  rather  excited  ;  her  eyes  were  quite 
round  with  amazement,  in  fact,  and  being  young  and  inexperienced, 
she  regarded  her  mistress  with  nervous  sympathy. 

"  It  's  the  Earl  hisself,  ma'am  ! "  she  said  in  tremulous  awe. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 83 


When  Mrs.  Errol  entered  the  drawing-room,  a  very  tall,  majes- 
tic-looking old  man  was  standing  on  the  tiger-skin  rug.  He  had  a 
handsome,  grim  old  face,  with  an  aquiline  profile,  a  long  white 
mustache,  and  an  obstinate  look. 

"  Mrs.  Errol,  I  believe  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Mrs.  Errol,"  she  answered. 

"  I  am  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt,"  he  said. 
He  paused  a  moment,  almost  unconsciously,  to  look   into    her 
uplifted  eyes.     They  were  so  like  the  big,  affectionate,  childish  eyes 
he  had  seen  uplifted  to  his  own  so  often  every  day  during  the  last 
few  months,  that  they  gave  him  a  quite  curious  sensation. 

"  The  boy  is  very  like  you,"  he  said  abruptly. 

"It  has  been  often  said  so,  my  lord,"  she  replied,  "but  I  have 
been  glad  to  think  him  like  his  father  also." 

As  Lady  Lorridaile  had  told  him,  her  voice  was  very  sweet,  and 
her  manner  was  very  simple  and  dignified.  She  did  not  seem  in  the 
least  troubled  by  his  sudden  coming. 

"Yes,"  said  the  Earl,  "he  is  like  —  my  son  —  too."  He  put  his 
hand  up  to  his  big  white  mustache  and  pulled  it  fiercely.  "  Do  you 
know,"  he  said,  "why  I  have  come  here?" 

"I  have  seen  Mr.  Havisham,"  Mrs.  Errol  began,  "and  he  has 
told  me  of  the  claims  which  have  been  made " 

"  I  have  come  to  tell  you,"  said  the  Earl,  "that  they  will  be  inves- 
tigated and  contested,  if  a  contest  can  be  made.  I  have  come  to  tell 
you  that  the  boy  shall  be  defended  with  all  the  power  of  the  law. 

His  rights " 

The  soft  voice  interrupted  him. 

"  He  must  have  nothing  that  is  not  his  by  right,  even  if  the  law 
can  give  it  to  him,"  she  said. 

"  Unfortunately  the  law  can  not,"  said  the  Earl.  "  If  it  could,  it 
should.     This  outrageous  woman  and  her  child " 


1 84  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

"  Perhaps  she  cares  for  him  as  much  as  I  care  for  Cedric,  my 
lord,"  said  little  Mrs.  Errol.  "  And  if  she  was  your  eldest  son's  wife, 
her  son  is  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  mine  is  not." 

She  was  no  more  afraid  of  him  than  Cedric  had  been,  and  she 
looked  at  him  just  as  Cedric  would  have  looked,  and  he,  having  been 
an  old  tyrant  all  his  life,  was  privately  pleased  by  it.  People  so  sel- 
dom dared  to  differ  from  him  that  there  was  an  entertaining  novelty 
in  it. 

"I  suppose,"  he  said,  scowling  slightly,   "that  you  would  much 
prefer  that  he  should  not  be  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt." 
Her  fair  young  face  flushed. 

"  It  is  a  very  magnificent  thing  to  be  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt,  my 
lord,"  she  said.  "  I  know  that,  but  I  care  most  that  he  should  be 
what  his  father  was  —  brave  and  just  and  true  always." 

"  In  striking  contrast  to  what  his  grandfather  was,  eh  ? "  said  his 
lordship  sardonically. 

"I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  his  grandfather,"  replied 

Mrs.  Errol,  "but  I  know  my  little  boy  believes "     She  stopped 

short  a  moment,  looking  quietly  into  his  face,  and  then  she  added, 
"I  know  that  Cedric  loves  you." 

"  Would  he  have  loved  me,"  said  the  Earl  dryly,  "  if  you  had  told 
him  why  I  did  not  receive  you  at  the  Castle  ?  " 

"No,"  answered  Mrs.  Errol,  "I  think  not.  That  was  why  I  did 
not  wish  him  to  know." 

"Well,"  said  my  lord  brusquely,  "there  are  few  women  who 
would  not  have  told  him." 

He  suddenly  began  to  walk  up  and  down  the  room,  pulling  his 
great  mustache  more  violently  than  ever. 

"  Yes,  he  is  fond  of  me,"  he  said,  'and  I  am  fond  of  him.  I  can't 
say  I  ever  was  fond  of  anything  before.  I  am  fond  of  him.  He 
pleased  me  from  the  first.      I  am  an  old  man,  and  was  tired  of  my 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 85 

life.  He  has  given  me  something  to  live  for.  I  am  proud  of  him. 
I  was  satisfied  to  think  of  his  taking  his  place  some  day  as  the  head 
of  the  family." 

He  came  back  and  stood  before  Mrs.  Errol. 
"  I  am  miserable,"  he  said.      "  Miserable  !  " 

He  looked  as  if  he  was.  Even  his  pride  could  not  keep  his 
voice  steady  or  his  hands  from  shaking.  For  a  moment  it  almost 
seemed  as  if  his  deep,  fierce  eyes  had  tears  in  them.  "  Perhaps  it  is 
because  I  am  miserable  that  I  have  come  to  you,"  he  said,  quite 
glaring  down  at  her.  "  I  used  to  hate  you  ;  I  have  been  jealous  of 
you.  This  wretched,  disgraceful  business  has  changed  that.  After 
seeing  that  repulsive  woman  who  calls  herself  the  wife  of  my  son 
Bevis,  I  actually  felt  it  would  be  a  relief  to  look  at  you.  I  have 
been  an  obstinate  old  fool,  and  I  suppose  I  have  treated  you  badly. 
You  are  like  the  boy,  and  the  boy  is  the  first  object  in  my  life.  I  am 
miserable,  and  I  came  to  you  merely  because  you  are  like  the  boy, 
and  he  cares  for  you,  and  I  care  for  him.  Treat  me  as  well  as  you 
can,  for  the  boy's  sake." 

He  said  it  all  in  his  harsh  voice,  and  almost  roughly,  but  some- 
how he  seemed  so  broken  down  for  the  time  that  Mrs.  Errol  was 
touched  to  the  heart.  She  got  up  and  moved  an  arm-chair  a  little 
forward. 

"  I  wish  you  would  sit  down,"  she  said  in  a  soft,  pretty,  sympa- 
thetic way.  "  You  have  been  so  much  troubled  that  you  are  very 
tired,  and  you  need  all  your  strength." 

It  was  just  as  new  to  him  to  be  spoken  to  and  cared  for  in  that 
gentle,  simple  way  as  it  was  to  be  contradicted.  He  was  reminded 
of  "the  boy"  again,  and  he  actually  did  as  she  asked  him.  Perhaps 
his  disappointment  and  wretchedness  were  good  discipline  for  him  ; 
if  he  had  not  been  wretched  he  might  have  continued  to  hate  her, 
but  just  at  present  he  found  her  a  little  soothing.     Almost  anything 


1 86  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

would  have  seemed  pleasant  by  contrast  with  Lady  Fauntleroy  ;  and 
this  one  had  so  sweet  a  face  and  voice,  and  a  pretty  dignity  when 
she  spoke  or  moved.  Very  soon,  through  the  quiet  magic  of  these 
influences,  he  began  to  feel  less  gloomy,  and  then  he  talked  still  more. 

"Whatever  happens,"  he  said,    "the  boy  shall  be  provided  for. 
He  shall  be  taken  care  of,  now  and  in  the  future." 

Before  he  went  away,  he  glanced  around  the  room. 

"  Do  you  like  the  house?"  he  demanded. 

"  Very  much,"  she  answered. 

"  This  is  a  cheerful  room,"  he  said.      "  May  I  come  here  again 
and  talk  this  matter  over  ? " 

"  As  often  as  you  wish,  my  lord,"  she  replied. 
And  then  he  went  out  to  his  carriage  and  drove  away,  Thomas 
and  Henry  almost  stricken  dumb  upon  the  box  at  the  turn  affairs 
had  taken. 


XIII 

Of  course,  as  soon  as  the  story  of  Lord  Fauntleroy  and  the 
difficulties  of  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt  were  discussed  in  the 
English  newspapers,  they  were  discussed  in  the  American 
newspapers.  The  story  was  too  interesting  to  be  passed  over 
lightly,  and  it  was  talked  of  a  great  deal.  There  were  so  many 
versions  of  it  that  it  would  have  been  an  edifying  thing  to  buy  all 
the  papers  and  compare  them.  Mr.  Hobbs  read  so  much  about  it 
that  he  became  quite  bewildered.  One  paper  described  his  young 
friend  Cedric  as  an  infant  in  arms, —  another  as  a  young  man  at 
Oxford,  winning  all  the  honors,  and  distinguishing  himself  by  writ- 
ing Greek  poems  ;  one  said  he  was  engaged  to  a  young  lady  of 
great  beauty,  who  was  the  daughter  of  a  duke ;  another  said  he  had 
just  been  married;  the  only  thing,  in  fact,  which  was  not  said  was 
that  he  was  a  little  boy  between  seven  and  eight,  with  handsome 
legs  and  curly  hair.  One  said  he  was  no  relation  to  the  Earl  of 
Dorincourt  at  all,  but  was  a  small  impostor  who  had  sold  newspapers 
and  slept  in  the  streets  of  New  York  before  his  mother  imposed  upon 
the  family  lawyer,  who  came  to  America  to  look  for  the  Earl's  heir. 
Then  came  the  descriptions  of  the  new  Lord  Fauntleroy  and  his 
mother.  Sometimes  she  was  a  gypsy,  sometimes  an  actress,  some- 
times a  beautiful  Spaniard ;  but  it  was  always  agreed  that  the  Earl 
of  Dorincourt  was  her  deadly  enemy,  and  would  not  acknowledge 
her  son  as  his  heir  if  he  could  help  it,  and  as  there  seemed  to  be 
some  slight  flaw  in  the  papers  she  had  produced,  it  was  expected 

187 


1 88  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

that  there  would  be  a  long  trial,  which  would  be  far  more  interesting 
than  anything  ever  carried  into  court  before.  Mr.  Hobbs  used  to 
read  the  papers  until  his  head  was  in  a  whirl,  and  in  the  evening  he 
and  Dick  would  talk  it  'all  over.  They  found  out  what  an  important 
personage  an  Earl  of  Dorincourt  was,  and  what  a  magnificent  income 
he  possessed,  and  how  many  estates  he  owned,  and  how  stately  and 
beautiful  was  the  Castle  in  which  he  lived ;  and  the  more  they 
learned,  the  more  excited  they  became. 

"  Seems  like  somethin'  orter  be  done,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs.  "  Things 
like  them  orter  be  held  on  to  —  earls  or  no  earls." 

But  there  really  was  nothing  they  could  do  but  each  write  a 
letter  to  Cedric,  containing  assurances  of  their  friendship  and  sym- 
pathy. They  wrote  those  letters  as  soon  as  they  could  after  receiv- 
ing the  news ;  and  after  having  written  them,  they  handed  them 
over  to  each  other  to  be  read. 

This  is  what  Mr.  Hobbs  read  in  Dick's  letter. 

"  Dere  Frend  :  i  got  ure  letter  an  Mr.  Hobbs  got  his  an  we  are  sory  u  are  down  on 
ure  luck  an  we  say  hold  on  as  longs  u  kin  an  dont  let  no  one  git  ahed  of  u.  There 
is  a  lot  of  ole  theves  wil  make  al  they  kin  of  u  ef  u  dont  kepe  ure  i  skined.  But  this 
is  mosly  to  say  that  ive  not  forgot  wot  u  did  fur  me  an  if  there  aint  no  better  way  cum 
over  here  an  go  in  pardners  with  me.  Biznes  is  fine  an  ile  see  no  harm  cums  to  u 
Enny  big  feler  that  trise  to  cum  it  over  u  wil  hafter  setle  it  fust  with  Perfessor  Dick 
Tipton     So  no  more  at  present  Dick." 

And  this  was  what  Dick  read  in  Mr.  Hobbs's  letter: 

"  Dear  Sir  :  Yrs  received  and  wd  say  things  looks  bad.  I  believe  its  a  put  up 
job  and  them  thats  done  it  ought  to  be  looked  after  sharp.  And  what  I  write  to  say 
is  two  things.  Im  going  to  look  this  thing  up.  Keep  quiet  and  111  see  a  lawyer  and 
do  all  I  can  And  if  the  worst  happens  and  them  earls  is  too  many  for  us  theres  a 
partnership  in  the  grocery  business  ready  for  you  when  yure  old  enough  and  a  home 
and  a  friend  in 

"  Yrs  truly,  Silas  Hobbs." 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 89 

"Well,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs,  "he's  pervided  for  between  us,  if  he 
aint  a  earl." 

"  So  he  is,"  said  Dick.  "  I'd  ha'  stood  by  him.  Blest  if  I  did  n't 
like  that  little  feller  fust-rate." 

The  very  next  morning,  one  of  Dick's  customers  was  rather 
surprised.  He  was  a  young  lawyer  just  beginning  practice  —  as 
poor  as  a  very  young  lawyer  can  possibly  be,  but  a  bright,  ener- 
getic young  fellow,  with  sharp  wit  and  a  good  temper.  He  had  a 
shabby  office  near  Dick's  stand,  and  every  morning  Dick  blacked  his 
boots  for  him,  and  quite  often  they  were  not  exactly  water-tight,  but 
he  always  had  a  friendly  word  or  a  joke  for  Dick. 

That  particular  morning,  when  he  put  his  foot  on  the  rest,  he 
had  an  illustrated  paper  in  his  hand — an  enterprising  paper,  with 
pictures  in  it  of  conspicuous  people  and  things.  He  had  just  fin- 
ished looking  it  over,  and  when  the  last  boot  was  polished,  he 
handed  it  over  to  the  boy. 

"  Here  's  a  paper  for  you,  Dick,"  he  said ;  "  you  can  look  it  over 
when  you  drop  in  at  Delmonico's  for  your  breakfast.  Picture  of  an 
English  castle  in  it,  and  an  English  earl's  daughter-in-law.  Fine 
young  woman,  too, —  lots  of  hair, —  though  she  seems  to  be  raising 
rather  a  row.  You  ought  to  become  familiar  with  the  nobility  and 
gentry,  Dick.  Begin  on  the  Right  Honorable  the  Earl  of  Dorin- 
court  and  Lady  Fauntleroy.      Hello  I  I  say,  what  's  the  matter?" 

The  pictures  he  spoke  of  were  on  the  front  page,  and  Dick  was 
staring  at  one  of  them  with  his  eyes  and  mouth  open,  and  his  sharp 
face  almost  pale  with  excitement. 

"What  's  to  pay,  Dick?"  said  the  young  man.  "What  has 
paralyzed  you  ?  " 

Dick  really  did  look  as  if  something  tremendous  had  happened. 
He  pointed  to  the  picture,  under  which  was  written : 

"  Mother  of  Claimant  (Lady  Fauntleroy)." 


I90  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

It  was  the  picture  of  a  handsome  woman,  with  large  eyes  and 
heavy  braids  of  black  hair  wound  around  her  head. 

"  Her  !  "  said  Dick.      "  My,  I  know  her  better  'n  I  know  you  ! " 
The  young-  man  began  to  laugh. 

"  Where  did  you  meet  her,  Dick  ?  "  he  said.  "At  Newport?  Or 
when  you  ran  over  to  Paris  the  last  time  ?  " 

Dick  actually  forgot  to  grin.  He  began  to  gather  his  brushes 
and  things  together,  as  if  he  had  something  to  do  which  would  put 
an  end  to  his  business  for  the  present. 

"Never  mind,"  he  said.  "I  know  her!  An  I  've  struck  work 
for  this  mornin'." 

And  in  less  than  five  minutes  from  that  time  he  was  tearing 
through  the  streets  on  his  way  to  Mr.  Hobbs  and  the  corner  store. 
Mr.  Hobbs  could  scarcely  believe  the  evidence  of  his  senses  when 
he  looked  across  the  counter  and  saw  Dick  rush  in  with  the  paper 
in  his  hand.  The  boy  was  out  of  breath  with  running ;  so  much 
out  of  breath,  in  fact,  that  he  could  scarcely  speak  as  he  threw  the 
paper  down  on  the  counter. 

"  Hello  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Hobbs.  "  Hello  !  What  you  got 
there  ?  " 

"  Look  at  it !  "  panted  Dick.  "  Look  at  that  woman  in  the  pict- 
ure !  That  's  what  you  look  at !  She  aint  no  'ristocrat,  she  aint !  " 
with  withering  scorn.  "  She  's  no  lord's  wife.  You  may  eat  me, 
if  it  aint  Minna — Minna!  I  'd  know  her  anywheres,  an'  so  'd  Ben. 
Jest  ax  him." 

Mr.  Hobbs  dropped  into  his  seat. 

"  I  knowed  it  was  a  put-up  job,"  he  said.  "  I  knowed  it ;  and  they 
done  it  on  account  o'  him  bein'  a  'Merican  !  " 

"  Done  it  !"  cried  Dick,  with  disgust.  "She  done  it,  that  's  who 
done  it.  She  was  allers  up  to  her  tricks ;  an'  I  '11  tell  yer  wot  come 
to  me,  the  minnit  I  saw  her  pictur.    There  was  one  o'  them  papers  we 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  191 

saw  had  a  letter  in  it  that  said  somethin'  'bout  her  boy,  an'  it  said  he 
had  a  scar  on  his  chin.  Put  them  two  together — her  'n'  that  there 
scar!  Why,  that  there  boy  o'  hers  aint  no  more  a  lord  than  I  am! 
It 's  Beiis  boy, — the  little  chap  she  hit  when  she  let  fly  that  plate 
at  me." 

Professor  Dick  Tipton  had  always  been  a  sharp  boy,  and  earn- 
ing his  living  in  the  streets  of  a  big  city  had  made  him  still  sharper. 
He  had  learned  to  keep  his  eyes  open  and  his  wits  about  him,  and 
it  must  be  confessed  he  enjoyed  immensely  the  excitement  and 
impatience  of  that  moment.  If  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  could  only 
have  looked  into  the  store  that  morning,  he  would  certainly  have 
been  interested,  even  if  all  the  discussion  and  plans  had  been 
intended  to  decide  the  fate  of  some  other  boy  than  himself. 

Mr.  Hobbs  was  almost  overwhelmed  by  his  sense  of  responsi- 
bility, and  Dick  was  all  alive  and  full  of  energy.  He  began  to  write 
a  letter  to  Ben,  and  he  cut  out  the  picture  and  inclosed  it  to  him, 
and  Mr.  Hobbs  wrote  a  letter  to  Cedric  and  one  to  the  Earl.  They 
were  in  the  midst  of  this  letter-writing  when  a  new  idea  came  to 
Dick. 

"Say,"  he  said,  "the  feller  that  give  me  the  paper,  he  's  a  lawyer. 
Let 's  ax  him  what  we  'd  better  do.      Lawyers  knows  it  all." 

Mr.  Hobbs  was  immensely  impressed  by  this  suggestion  and 
Dick's  business  capacity. 

"  That  's  so  !  "  he  replied.      "This  here  calls  for  lawyers." 

And  leaving  the  store  in  the  care  of  a  substitute,  he  struggled 
into  his  coat  and  marched  down-town  with  Dick,  and  the  two  pre- 
sented themselves  with  their  romantic  story  in  Mr.  Harrison's  office, 
much  to  that  young  man's  astonishment. 

If  he  had  not  been  a  very  young  lawyer,  with  a  very  enterpris- 
ing mind  and  a  great  deal  of  spare  time  on  his  hands,  he  might 
not  have  been  so  readily  interested  in  what  they  had  to  say,  for  it 


192  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

all  certainly  sounded  very  wild  and  queer ;  but  he  chanced  to  want 
something  to  do  very  much,  and  he  chanced  to  know  Dick,  and 
Dick  chanced  to  say  his  say  in  a  very  sharp,  telling  sort  of  way. 

"  And,"  said  Mr.  Hobbs,  "  say  what  your  time  's  worth  a'  hour 
and  look  into  this  thing  thorough,  and  /  7/  pay  the  damage, — Silas 
Hobbs,  corner  of  Blank  street,  Vegetables  and  Fancy  Groceries." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Harrison,  "  it  will  be  a  big  thing  if  it  turns  out 
all  right,  and  it  will  be  almost  as  big  a  thing  for  me  as  for  Lord 
Fauntleroy;  and,  at  any  rate,  no  harm  can  be  done  by  investigating. 
It  appears  there  has  been  some  dubiousness  about  the  child.  The 
woman  contradicted  herself  in  some  of  her  statements  about  his  age, 
and  aroused  suspicion.  The  first  persons  to  be  written  to  are  Dick's 
brother  and  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt's  family  lawyer." 

And  actually,  before  the  sun  went  down,  two  letters  had  been 
written  and  sent  in  two  different  directions  —  one  speeding  out  of 
New  York  harbor  on  a  mail  steamer  on  its  way  to  England,  and  the 
other  on  a  train  carrying  letters  and  passengers  bound  for  Cali- 
fornia. And  the  first  was  addressed  to  T.  Havisham,  Esq.,  and  the 
second  to  Benjamin  Tipton. 

And  after  the  store  was  closed  that  evening,  Mr.  Hobbs  and 
Dick  sat  in  the  back-room  and  talked  together  until  midnight. 


XIV 

It  is  astonishing-  how  short  a  time  it  takes  for  very  wonderful 
things  to  happen.  It  had  taken  only  a  few  minutes,  apparently, 
to  change  all  the  fortunes  of  the  little  boy  dangling  his  red  legs 
from  the  high  stool  in  Mr.  Hobbs's  store,  and  to  transform  him  from 
a  small  boy,  living  the  simplest  life  in  a  quiet  street,  into  an  English 
nobleman,  the  heir  to  an  earldom  and  magnificent  wealth.  It  had 
taken  only  a  few  minutes,  apparently,  to  change  him  from  an  English 
nobleman  into  a  penniless  little  impostor,  with  no  right  to  any  of  the 
splendors  he  had  been  enjoying.  And,  surprising  as  it  may  appear, 
it  did  not  take  nearly  so  long  a  time  as  one  might  have  expected,  to 
alter  the  face  of  everything  again  and  to  give  back  to  him  all  that 
he  had  been  in  danger  of  losing. 

It  took  the  less  time  because,  after  all,  the  woman  who  had 
called  herself  Lady  Fauntleroy  was  not  nearly  so  clever  as  she  was 
wicked ;  and  when  she  had  been  closely  pressed  by  Mr.  Havisham's 
questions  about  her  marriage  and  her  boy,  she  had  made  one  or  two 
blunders  which  had  caused  suspicion  to  be  awakened;  and  then  she 
had  lost  her  presence  of  mind  and  her  temper,  and  in  her  excitement 
and  anger  had  betrayed  herself  still  further.  All  the  mistakes  she 
made  were  about  her  child.  There  seemed  no  doubt  that  she  had 
been  married  to  Bevis,  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  had  quarreled  with 
him  and  had  been  paid  to  keep  away  from  him;  but  Mr.  Havisham 
found  out  that  her  story  of  the  boy's  being  born  in  a  certain  part  of 
London  was  false ;   and  just  when  they  all  were  in  the  midst  of  the 

13  193 


194  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

commotion  caused  by  this  discovery,  there  came  the  letter  from   the 
young  lawyer  in  New  York,  and  Mr.  Hobbs's  letters  also. 

What  an  evening  it  was  when  those  letters  arrived,  and  when 
Mr.  Havisham  and  the  Earl  sat  and  talked  their  plans  over  in  the 
library! 

"  After  my  first  three  meetings  with  her,"  said  Mr.  Havisham,  "  I 
began  to  suspect  her  strongly.  It  appeared  to  me  that  the  child  was 
older  than  she  said  he  was,  and  she  made  a  slip  in  speaking  of  the 
date  of  his  birth  and  then  tried  to  patch  the  matter  up.  The  story 
these  letters  bring  fits  in  with  several  of  my  suspicions.  Our  best  plan 
will  be  to  cable  at  once  for  these  two  Tiptons, —  say  nothing  about 
them  to  her,— and  suddenly  confront  her  with  them  when  she  is  not 
expecting  it.  She  is  only  a  very  clumsy  plotter,  after  all.  My 
opinion  is  that  she  will  be  frightened  out  of  her  wits,  and  will  betray 
herself  on  the  spot." 

And  that  was  what  actually  happened.  She  was  told  nothing, 
and  Mr.  Havisham  kept  her  from  suspecting  anything  by  continuing 
to  have  interviews  with  her,  in  which  he  assured  her  he  was  investi- 
gating her  statements ;  and  she  really  began  to  feel  so  secure  that 
her  spirits  rose  immensely  and  she  began  to  be  as  insolent  as  might 
have  been  expected. 

But  one  fine  morning,  as  she  sat  in  her  sitting-room  at  the 
inn  called  "The  Dorincourt  Arms,"  making  some  very  fine  plans  for 
herself,  Mr.  Havisham  was  announced ;  and  when  he  entered,  he 
was  followed  by  no  less  than  three  persons  —  one  was  a  sharp-faced 
boy  and  one  was  a  big  young  man  and  the  third  was  the  Earl 
of  Dorincourt. 

She  sprang  to  her  feet  and  actually  uttered  a  cry  of  terror.  It 
broke  from  her  before  she  had  time  to  check  it.  She  had  thought 
of  these  new-comers  as  being  thousands  of  miles  away,  when  she  had 
ever  thought  of  them  at  all,  which  she  had  scarcely  done  for  years. 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  1 95 

She  had  never  expected  to  see  them  again.      It  must  be  confessed 
that  Dick  grinned  a  little  when  he  saw  her. 

"  Hello,  Minna  ! "  he  said. 
The  big  young  man  —  who  was  Ben  —  stood  still  a  minute  and 
looked  at  her. 

"  Do  you  know  her?"  Mr.  Havisham  asked,  glancing  from  one  to 
the  other. 

"Yes,"  said  Ben.  "I  know  her  and  she  knows  me."  And  he 
turned  his  back  on  her  and  went  and  stood  looking  out  of  the 
window,  as  if  the  sight  of  her  was  hateful  to  him,  as  indeed  it  was. 
Then  the  woman,  seeing  herself  so  baffled  and  exposed,  lost  all  con- 
trol over  herself  and  flew  into  such  a  rage  as  Ben  and  Dick  had  often 
seen  her  in  before.  Dick  grinned  a  trifle  more  as  he  watched 
her  and  heard  the  names  she  called  them  all  and  the  violent  threats 
she  made,  but  Ben  did  not  turn  to  look  at  her. 

''  I  can  swear  to  her  in  any  court,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Havisham,  "and 
I  can  bring  a  dozen  others  who  will.  Her  father  is  a  respectable 
sort  of  man,  though  he  's  low  down  in  the  world.  Her  mother  was 
just  like  herself.  She  's  dead,  but  he  's  alive,  and  he  's  honest 
enough  to  be  ashamed  of  her.  He  '11  tell  you  who  she  is,  and 
whether  she  married  me  or  not." 

Then  he  clenched  his  hand  suddenly  and  turned  on  her. 

"Where  's  the  child?"  he  demanded.  "He  's  going  with  me ! 
He  is  done  with  you,  and  so  am  I  ! " 

And  just  as  he  finished  saying  the  words,  the  door  leading  into 
the  bedroom  opened  a  little,  and  the  boy,  probably  attracted  by  the 
sound  of  the  loud  voices,  looked  in.  He  was  not  a  handsome  boy, 
but  he  had  rather  a  nice  face,  and  he  was  quite  like  Ben,  his  father,  as 
any  one  could  see,  and  there  was  the  three-cornered  scar  on  his  chin. 
Ben  walked  up  to  him  and  took  his  hand,  and  his  own  was 
trembling. 


196  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLERQY, 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  could  swear  to  him,  too.  Tom,"  he  said  to 
the  little  fellow,  "I  'm  your  father  ;  I  've  come  to  take  you  away. 
Where  's  your  hat?  " 

The  boy  pointed  to  where  it  lay  on  a  chair.  It  evidently 
rather  pleased  him  to  hear  that  he  was  going  away.  He  had  been 
so  accustomed  to  queer  experiences  that  it  did  not  surprise  him  to 
be  told  by  a  stranger  that  he  was  his  father.  He  objected  so  much 
to  the  woman  who  had  come  a  few  months  before  to  the  place  where 
he  had  lived  since  his  babyhood,  and  who  had  suddenly  announced 
that  she  was  his  mother,  that  he  was  quite  ready  for  a  change.  Ben 
took  up  the  hat  and  marched  to  the  door. 

"If  you  want  me  again,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Havisham,  "you  know 
where  to  find  me." 

He  walked  out  of  the  room,  holding  the  child's  hand  and  not 
looking  at  the  woman  once.  She  was  fairly  raving  with  fury,  and 
the  Earl  was  calmly  gazing  at  her  through  his  eyeglasses,  which  he 
had  quietly  placed  upon  his  aristocratic,  eagle  nose. 

"Come,  come,  my  young  woman,"  said  Mr.  Havisham.  "This 
wont  do  at  all.  If  you  don't  want  to  be  locked  up,  you  really  must 
behave  yourself." 

And  there  was  something  so  very  business-like  in  his  tones 
that,  probably  feeling  that  the  safest  thing  she  could  do  would  be  to 
get  out  of  the  way,  she  gave  him  one  savage  look  and  dashed  past 
him  into  the  next  room  and  slammed  the  door. 

"  We  shall  have  no  more  trouble  with  her,"  said  Mr.  Havisham. 

And  he  was  right;  for  that  very  night  she  left  the  Dorincourt 

Arms  and  took  the  train  to  London,  and  was  seen  no  more. 

******** 

When  the  Earl  left  the  room  after  the  interview,  he  went  at 
once  to  his  carriage. 

"  To  Court  Lodge,"  he  said  to  Thomas. 


'ARE   YOU    QUITE    SURE   YOU   WANT   ME?'     SAID    MRS.    ERROL.' 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  1 99 

"  To  Court  Lodge,"  said  Thomas  to  the  coachman  as  he  mounted 
the  box;  "an'  you  may  depend  on  it,  things  are  taking  a  unigg- 
spected  turn." 

When  the  carriage  stopped  at  Court  Lodge,  Cedric  was  in  the 
drawing-room  with  his  mother. 

The  Earl  came  in  without  being  announced.  He  looked  an 
inch  or  so  taller,  and  a  great  many  years  younger.  His  deep  eyes 
flashed. 

"  Where,"  he  said,  "is  Lord  Fauntleroy  ?  " 

Mrs.  Errol  came  forward,  a  flush  rising  to  her  cheek. 
"  Is  it  Lord  Fauntleroy  ?  "  she  asked.      "  Is  it,  indeed  ! " 

The  Earl  put  out  his  hand  and  grasped  hers. 
"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "it  is." 

Then  he  put  his  other  hand  on  Cedric's  shoulder. 
"  Fauntleroy,"  he  said  in  his  unceremonious,   authoritative  way, 
"  ask  your  mother  when  she  will  come  to  us  at  the  Castle." 
Fauntleroy  flung  his  arms  around  his  mother's  neck. 
"  To  live  with  us  !  "  he  cried.      "  To  live  with  us  always  !  " 
The  Earl  looked  at  Mrs.  Errol,  and  Mrs.  Errol  looked  at  the 
Earl.      His  lordship  was  entirely  in  earnest.      He  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  waste  no  time  in  arranging  this  matter.      He  had  begun  to 
think  it  would  suit  him  to  make  friends  with  his  heir's  mother. 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  you  want  me  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Errol,  with  her 
soft,  pretty  smile. 

"Quite  sure,"  he  said  bluntly.  "We  have  always  wanted  you, 
but  we  were  not  exactly  aware  of  it.     We  hope  you  will  come." 


XV 

Bei\  took  his  boy  and  went  back  to  his  cattle  ranch  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  he  returned  under  very  comfortable  circumstances. 
Just  before  his  going,  Mr.  Havisham  had  an  interview  with 
him  in  which  the  lawyer  told  him  that  the  Earl  of  Dorincourt  wished 
to  do  something  for  the  boy  who  might  have  turned  out  to  be  Lord 
Fauntleroy,  and  so  he  had  decided  that  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to 
invest  in  a  cattle  ranch  of  his  own,  and  put  Ben  in  charge  of  it  on 
terms  which  would  make  it  pay  him  very  well,  and  which  would 
lay  a  foundation  for  his  son's  future.  And  so  when  Ben  went  away, 
he  went  as  the  prospective  master  of  a  ranch  which  would  be  almost 
as  good  as  his  own,  and  might  easily  become  his  own  in  time,  as 
indeed  it  did  in  the  course  of  a  few  years ;  and  Tom,  the  boy,  grew 
up  on  it  into  a  fine  young  man  and  was  devotedly  fond  of  his  father ; 
and  they  were  so  successful  and  happy  that  Ben  used  to  say  that 
Tom  made  up  to  him  for  all  the  troubles  he  had  ever  had. 

But  Dick  and  Mr.  Hobbs — who  had  actually  come  over  with 
the  others  to  see  that  things  were  properly  looked  after — did  not 
return  for  some  time.  It  had  been  decided  at  the  outset  that  the  Earl 
would  provide  for  Dick,  and  would  see  that  he  received  a  solid  educa- 
tion; and  Mr.  Hobbs  had  decided  that  as  he  himself  had  left  a  reliable 
substitute  in  charge  of  his  store,  he  could  afford  to  wait  to  see  the 
festivities  which  were  to  celebrate  Lord  Fauntleroy's  eighth  birthday. 
All  the  tenantry  were  invited,  and  there  were  to  be  feasting  and  dancing 
and  games  in  the  park,  and  bonfires  and  fire-works  in  the  evening. 


LITTLE   LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  201 


"  Just  like  the  Fourth  of  July!  "  said  Lo  d  Fauntleroy.  "  It  seems 
a  pity  my  birthday  was  n't  on  the  Fourth,  does  n't  it  ?  For  then  we 
could  keep  them  both  together." 

It  must  be  confessed  that  at  first  the  Earl  and  Mr.  Hobbs  were 
not  as  intimate  as  it  might  have  been  hoped  they  would  become,  in 
the  interests  of  the  British  aristocracy.  The  fact  was  that  the  Earl 
had  known  very  few  grocery-men,  and  Mr.  Hobbs  had  not  had  many 
very  close  acquaintances  who  were  earls ;  and  so  in  their  rare  inter- 
views conversation  did  not  flourish.  It  must  also  be  owned  that  Mr. 
Hobbs  had  been  rather  overwhelmed  by  the  splendors  Fauntleroy 
felt  it  his  duty  to  show  him. 

The  entrance  gate  and  the  stone  lions  and  the  avenue  impressed 
Mr.  Hobbs  somewhat  at  the  beginning,  and  when  he  saw  the  Castle, 
and  the  flower-gardens,  and  the  hot-houses,  and  the  terraces,  and 
the  peacocks,  and  the  dungeon,  and  the  armor,  and  the  great  stair- 
case, and  the  stables,  and  the  liveried  servants,  he  really  was  quite 
bewildered.  But  it  was  the  picture  gallery  which  seemed  to  be  the 
finishing  stroke. 

"  Somethin'  in  the  manner  of  a  museum  ?  "  he  said  to  Fauntleroy, 
when  he  was  led  into  the  great,  beautiful  room. 

"  N  —  no  — !"  said  Fauntleroy,  rather  doubtfully.  "  I  don't  think 
it 's  a  museum.      My  grandfather  says  these  are  my  ancestors." 

"Your  aunt's  sisters!"  ejaculated  Mr.  Hobbs.  "All  of  'em? 
Your  great-uncle,  he  must  have  had  a  family  !  Did  he  raise  'em 
all?" 

And  he  sank  into  a  seat  and  looked  around  him  with  quite  an 
agitated  countenance,  until  with  the  greatest  difficulty  Lord  Fauntle- 
roy managed  to  explain  that  the  walls  were  not  lined  entirely  with 
the  portraits  of  the  progeny  of  his  great-uncle. 

He  found  it  necessary,  in  fact,  to  call  in  the  assistance  of  Mrs. 
Mellon,  who  knew  all  about  the  pictures,  and  could  tell  who  painted 


202 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY. 


them  and  when,  and  who  added  romantic  stories  of  the  lords  and 
ladies  who  were  the  originals.  When  Mr.  Hobbs  once  understood, 
and  had  heard  some  of  these  stories,  he  was  very  much  fascinated 
and  liked  the  picture  gallery  almost  better  than  anything  else ;  and 
he  would  often  walk  over  from  the  village,  where  he  staid  at  the 

Dorincourt  Arms,  and  would 
spend  half  an  hour  or  so  wan- 
dering about  the  gallery,  star- 
ing at  the  painted  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  who  also  stared 
at  him,  and  shaking  his  head 
nearly  all  the  time. 

"  And  they  was  all  earls  !  " 
he  would  say,  "  er  pretty  nigh 
it !  An'  he  's  goin'  to  be  one 
of  'em,  an'  own  it  all !  " 

Privately  he  was  not 
nearly  so  much  disgusted  with 
earls  and  their  mode  of  life  as 
he  had  expected  to  be,  and  it 
is  to  be  doubted  whether  his 
strictly  republican  principles 
were  not  shaken  a  little  by 
a  closer  acquaintance  with 
castles  and  ancestors  and  all 
the  rest  of  it.  At  any  rate, 
one  day  he  uttered-  a  very 
remarkable  and  unexpected 
sentiment : 

"I  would  n't  have  minded  bein'  one  of  'em   myself!"   he   said  — 
which  was  really  a  great  concession. 


"'MY  GRANDFATHER   SAYS  THESE  ARE  MY  ANCESTORS,' 
SAID    FAUNTLEROY." 


LITTLE   LORD   FAUNTLEROY.  203 

What  a  grand  day  it  was  when  little  Lord  Fauntleroy's  birthday 
arrived,  and  how  his  young  lordship  enjoyed  it!  How  beautiful  the 
park  looked,  filled  with  the  thronging  people  dressed  in  their  gayest 
and  best,  and  with  the  flags  flying  from  the  tents  and  the  top  of  the 
Castle !  Nobody  had  staid  away  who  could  possibly  come,  because 
everybody  was  really  glad  that  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  was  to  be  little 
Lord  Fauntleroy  still,  and  some  day  was  to  be  the  master  of  every- 
thing. Every  one  wanted  to  have  a  look  at  him,  and  at  his  pretty, 
kind  mother,  who  had  made  so  many  friends.  And  positively  every 
one  liked  the  Earl  rather  better,  and  felt  more  amiably  toward  him 
because  the  little  boy  loved  and  trusted  him  so,  and  because,  also, 
he  had  now  made  friends  with  and  behaved  respectfully  to  his  heir's 
mother.  It  was  said  that  he  was  even  beginning  to  be  fond  of  her, 
too,  and  that  between  his  young  lordship  and  his  young  lordship's 
mother,  the  Earl  might  be  changed  in  time  into  quite  a  well-behaved 
old   nobleman,  and   everybody  might  be  happier  and  better  off. 

What  scores  and  scores  of  people  there  were  under  the  trees, 
and  in  the  tents,  and  on  the  lawns !  Farmers  and  farmers'  wives  in 
their  Sunday  suits  and  bonnets  and  shawls ;  girls  and  their  sweet- 
hearts ;  children  frolicking  and  chasing  about ;  and  old  dames  in 
red  cloaks  gossiping  together.  At  the  Castle,  there  were  ladies  and 
gentlemen  who  had  come  to  see  the  fun,  and  to  congratulate  the 
Earl,  and  to  meet  Mrs.  Errol.  Lady  Lorredaile  and  Sir  Harry  were 
there,  and  Sir  Thomas  Asshe  and  his  daughters,  and  Mr.  Havisham, 
of  course,  and  then  beautiful  Miss  Vivian  Herbert,  with  the  loveliest 
white  gown  and  lace  parasol,  and  a  circle  of  gentlemen  to  take  care 
of  her — though  she  evidently  liked  Fauntleroy  better  than  all  of 
them  put  together.  And  when  he  saw  her  and  ran  to  her  and  put  his 
arm  around  her  neck,  she  put  her  arms  around  him,  too,  and  kissed 
him  as  warmly  as  if  he  had  been  her  own  favorite  little  brother,  and 
she  said : 


204  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 


"  Dear  little  Lord  Fauntleroy  !  dear  little  boy  !  I  am  so  glad  ! 
I  am  so  glad  !  " 

And  afterward  she  walked  about  the  grounds  with  him,  and  let 
him  show  her  everything.  And  when  he  took  her  to  where  Mr. 
Hobbs  and  Dick  were,  and  said  to  her,  "  This  is  my  old,  old  friend 
Mr.  Hobbs,  Miss  Herbert,  and  this  is  my  other  old  friend  Dick.  I 
told  them  how  pretty  you  were,  and  I  told  them  they  should  see  you 
if  you  came  to  my  birthday," — she  shook  hands  with  them  both,  and 
stood  and  talked  to  them  in  her  prettiest  way,  asking  them  about 
America  and  their  voyage  and  their  life  since  they  had  been  in  Eng- 
land; while  Fauntleroy  stood  by,  looking  up  at  her  with  adoring 
eyes,  and  his  cheeks  quite  flushed  with  delight  because  he  saw  that 
Mr.  Hobbs  and  Dick  liked  her  so  much. 

"Well,"  said  Dick  solemnly,  afterward,  "she's  the  daisiest  gal  I 
ever  saw  !  She  's — well,  she  's  just  a  daisy,  that 's  what  she  is,  'n'  no 
mistake !  " 

Everybody  looked  after  her  as  she  passed,  and  every  one  looked 
after  little  Lord  Fauntleroy.  And  the  sun  shone  and  the  flags  flut- 
tered and  the  games  were  played  and  the  dances  danced,  and  as  the 
gayeties  went  on  and  the  joyous  afternoon  passed,  his  little  lordship 
was  simply  radiantly  happy. 

The  whole  world  seemed  beautiful  to  him. 

There  was  some  one  else  who  was  happy,  too, — an  old  man, 
who,  though  he  had  been  rich  and  noble  all  his  life,  had  not  often 
been  very  honestly  happy.  Perhaps,  indeed,  I  shall  tell  you  that  I 
think  it  was  because  he  was  rather  better  than  he  had  been  that  he 
was  rather  happier.  He  had  not,  indeed,  suddenly  become  as  good 
as  Fauntleroy  thought  him;  but,  at  least,  he  had  begun  to  love  some- 
thing, and  he  had  several  times  found  a  sort  of  pleasure  in  doing  the 
kind  things  which  the  innocent,  kind  little  heart  of  a  child  had  sug- 
gested,—  and  that  was  a  beginning.     And  every  day  he  had  been 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  205 

more  pleased  with  his  son's  wife.  It  was  true,  as  the  people  said, 
that  he  was  beginning  to  like  her  too.  He  liked  to  hear  her  sweet 
voice  and  to  see  her  sweet  face ;  and  as  he  sat  in  his  arm-chair,  he 
used  to  watch  her  and  listen  as  she  talked  to  her  boy  ;  and  he  heard 
loving,  gentle  words  which  were  new  to  him,  and  he  began  to  see 
why  the  little  fellow  who  had  lived  in  a  New  York  side  street  and 
known  grocery-men  and  made  friends  with  boot-blacks,  was  still  so 
well-bred  and  manly  a  little  fellow  that  he  made  no  one  ashamed  of 
him,  even  when  fortune  changed  him  into  the  heir  to  an  English 
earldom,  living  in  an  English  castle. 

It  was  really  a  very  simple  thing,  after  all,— -it  was  only  that  he 
had  lived  near  c  kind  and  gentle  heart,  and  had  been  taught  to  think 
kind  thoughts  always  end  to  care  for  others.  It  is  a  very  little  thing, 
perhaps,  but  it  is  the  best  thing  of  all.  He  knew  nothing  of  earls 
and  castles  ;  he  was  quite  ignorant  of  all  grand  and  splendid  things  ; 
but  he  was  always  lovable  because  he  was  simple  and  loving.  To  be 
so  is  like  being  born  a  king. 

As  the  old  Earl  of  Dorincourt  looked  at  him  that  day,  moving 
about  the  park  among  the  people,  talking  to  those  he  knew  and 
making  his  ready  little  bow  when  any  one  greeted  him,  entertaining 
his  friends  Dick  and  Mr.  Hobbs,  or  standing  near  his  mother  or  Miss 
Herbert  listening  to  their  conversation,  the  old  nobleman  was  very 
well  satisfied  with  him.  And  he  had  never  been  better  satisfied  than 
he  was  when  they  went  down  to  the  biggest  tent,  where  the  more 
important  tenants  of  the  Dorincourt  estate  were  sitting  down  to  the 
grand  collation  of  the  day. 

They  were  drinking  toasts ;  and,  after  they  had  drunk  the 
health  of  the  Earl,  with  much  more  enthusiasm  than  his  name  had 
ever  been  greeted  with  before,  they  proposed  the  health  of  "  Little 
Lord  Fauntleroy."  And  if  there  had  ever  been  any  doubt  at  all  as  to 
whether  his  lordship  was  popular  or  not,  it  would  have  been  settled 


206  LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY. 

that  instant.  Such  a  clamor  of  voices,  and  such  a  rattle  of  glasses 
and  applause  !  They  had  begun  to  like  him  so  much,  those  warm- 
hearted people,  that  they  forgot  to  feel  any  restraint  before  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  from  the  castle,  who  had  come  to  see  them.  They 
made  quite  a  decent  uproar,  and  one  or  two  motherly  women  looked 
tenderly  at  the  little  fellow  where  he  stood,  with  his  mother  on  one 
side  and  the  Earl  on  the  other,  and  grew  quite  moist  about  the  eyes, 
and  said  to  one  another : 

"  God  bless  him,  the  pretty  little  dear!  " 
Little  Lord  Fauntleroy  was  delighted.      He  stood  and  smiled, 
and  made  bows,  and  flushed  rosy  red  with  pleasure  up  to  the  roots 
of  his  bright  hair. 

"Is  it  because  they  like  me,  Dearest?"  he  said  to  his  mother. 
"  Is  it,  Dearest  ?   I'mso  glad  !  " 

And  then  the  Earl  put  his  hand  on  the  child's  shoulder  and  said 
to  him  : 

"  Fauntleroy,  say  to  them  that  you  thank  them  for  their  kind- 
ness." 

Fauntleroy  gave  a  glance  up  at  him  and  then  at  his  mother. 

's  Must  I  ?  "  he  asked  just  a  trifle  shyly,  and  she  smiled,  and  so  did 
Miss  Herbert,  and  they  both  nodded.  And  so  he  made  a  little  step 
forward,  and  everybody  looked  at  him  —  such  a  beautiful,  innocent 
little  fellow  he  was,  too,  with  his  brave,  trustful  face!  —  and  he  spoke 
as  loudly  as  he  could,  his  childish  voice  ringing  out  quite  clear  and 
strong. 

"I  'm  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you!"  he  said,  "and — I  hope 
you  '11  enjoy  my  birthday — because  I  Ve  enjoyed  it  so  much — and — 
I  'm  very  glad  I  'm  going  to  be  an  earl ;  I  did  n't  think  at  first  I  should 
like  it,  but  now  I  do — and  I  love  this  place  so,  and  I  think  it  is 
beautiful — and — and — and  when  I  am  an  earl,  I  am  going  to  try  to 
be  as  good  as  my  grandfather." 


LORD    FAUNTLEROY   MAKES   A   SPEECH   TO   THE   TENANTS. 


LITTLE  LORD  FAUNTLEROY.  209 

And  amid  the  shouts  and  clamor  of  applause,  he  stepped  back 
with  a  little  sigh  of  relief,  and  put  his  hand  into  the  Earl's  and  stood 
close  to  him,  smiling  and  leaning  against  his  side. 

And  that  would  be  the  very  end  of  my  story ;  but  I  must  add 
one  curious  piece  of  information,  which  is  that  Mr.  Hobbs  became  so 
fascinated  with  high  life  and  was  so  reluctant  to  leave  his  young 
friend  that  he  actually  sold  his  corner  store  in  New  York,  and  settled 
in  the  English  village  of  Erlesboro,  where  he  opened  a  shop  which 
was  patronized  by  the  Castle  and  consequently  was  a  great  success. 
And  though  he  and  the  Earl  never  became  very  intimate,  if  you  will 
believe  me,  that  man  Hobbs  became  in  time  more  aristocratic  than 
his  lordship  himself,  and  he  read  the  Court  news  every  morning, 
and  followed  all  the  doings  of  the  House  of  Lords !  And  about  ten 
years  after,  when  Dick,  who  had  finished  his  education  and  was 
going  to  visit  his  brother  in  California,  asked  the  good  grocer  if  he 
did  not  wish  to  return  to  America,  he  shook  his  head  seriously. 

"  Not  to  live  there,"  he  said.  "  Not  to  live  there ;  I  want  to  be 
near  him,  an'  sort  o'  look  after  him.  It 's  a  good  enough  country  for 
them  that  's  young  an'  stirrin' — but  there  's  faults  in  it.  There  's  not 
an  auntsister  amone  'em  —  nor  an  earl !  " 


THE   END. 


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THE  STORY  OF  ROLAND. 

With  a  series  of  Full-page  Illustrations  by  R.  B.  Birch. 
One  volume,  121110,       ...        $1.50. 

"  Finely  written,  beautifully  bound  and  excellently  illustrated, 
it  is  a  charming  gift-book  for  either  a  boy  or  a  girl." — The  Critic. 

"  The  old  romance  is  thus  told  in  English  for  the  first  time  in 
a  connected  form,  and  is  admirably  told  in  the  true  spirit  of 
chivalry."—  The  Boston  Traveller.  > 

"Mr.  Baldwin  has  culled  from  a  wide  range  of  epics,  French,  Italian  and  German,  and  has  once  more  proved  his 
?Vit»U  ™s  a  story  teller  for  'he  y°unSi  while  conveying  information  for  which  many  of  their  elders  will  be  thap*" 
tu ' •    —  The  Nation. 


SCRIBNERS  'BOOKS  FO%  THE  YOUNG. 

THE  MODERN  VIKINGS: 

Stories  of  Life  and  Sport  in  the  Norseland. 


One  volume,  i2mo, 


BY    HJALMAR    H.    BOYESEN. 
Witlt  many   full-page   Illustrations. 


$2.00 

Professor  Boyason  will  earn  the  gratitude  of  all  healthy,  wide-awake 
boys  by  these  stories  of  adventurous  out-of-door  life  in  Norway,  Iceland 
and  other  northern  countries.  His  young  heroes  engage  in  many 
dangerous  exploits  on  sea  and  land,  but  their  pluck  and  other  manly 
qualities  bring  them  safely  through  all  perils.  The  spirited  illustrations 
are  of  decided  interest. 

"Boys  will  delight  in  the  young  Vikings  to  whom  Mr.  Boyesen  introduces  them 
in  this  volume." — The  Philadelphia  Times. 

"  Some  of  the  tales  are  legendary,  or  folk  stories,  others  illustrate  Norwegian 
customs,  and  others  again  relate  to  our  own  times,  and  are,  in  some  degree,  founded 
on  fact.  All  are  infused  with  a  rich  fancy,  and  some  exhibit  true  pathos."—  The  New 
York  Sun. 

"  About  Professor  Boyesen's  writings  there  is  a  freshness  which,  while  it  retains 
the  Norse  flavor  of  Andersen,  is  modern  rather  than  antiquely  quaint.  One  readily 
recognises  the  fact  that  the  author  is  a  Norseman  reciting  in  English  the  tales  and  legends  of  his  land,  and  not 
addressing  the  children  of  his  own  country  in  their  own  language.  Every  page  is  full  of  vigor  and  spirit.  The  boys 
and  girls  are  not  myths,  but  are  full  of  life  and  action.  While  the  stories  are  addressed  to  the  young,  their  character 
is  such  that  older  people  will  not  fail  to  be  interested  in  them." — The  Boston  Advertiser. 


Among  the  Law  Makers. 

BY   EDMUND   ALTON. 

With,    many   Illustrations    of   the   Government 
Buildings,  Halls  of  Congress,  Etc.,  Etc. 


One  volume,  square  8vo, 


>2.50 


"  This  charmirgly  written  series  of  personal  reminiscences 
and  sketches  makes  one  of  the  most  profitable  as  well  as  interest- 
ing books  that  can  be  put  into  the  hands  of  American  boys." — 
The  Churchman. 

"  Mr  Alton  has  written  a  book  of  remarkably  truthful  and 
graphic  descriptions  of  some  phases  of  Congressional  life  which 
his  experience  of  four  years  enabled  him  to  see.  His  book  is 
both  entertaining  and  useful." — The  Chicago  Tribune. 

"We  are  inclined  to  rate  this  book  as  one  of  the  most 
valuable  as  well  as  most  entertaining  juveniles  ever  issued  in  this 
country.  It  is  a  two-sided  book,  and  in  its  simply  entertaining  side 
gives  a  vivacious  picture  of  life  at  the  national  capital  as  seen  by 
one  of  the  Congressional  '  pages'.  But  the  real  value  cf  the  book 
lies  in  its  demonstration  of  legislative  processes.  Altogether  Mr. 
Alton  has  produced  a  book  of  solid  value." — The  Philadelphia 
Amer  'can  ~ 


*5^_ 


SCRIBNER'S  'BOOKS  FO%  THE  YOUNG. 


Marvels  of  Animal  Life  Series. 

By   CHARLES    F.  HOLDER. 


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The  marvellously  strange  forms  of  animal  life  that  exist  or 
have  existed  in  the  earth,  air  or  sea,  supply  Mr.  Holder  with 
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popular;  there  is  a  mass  of  accurate  information,  much  of 
which  is  based  upon  the  personal  observation  of  the  author,  and 
the  illustrations  are  numerous  and  of  substantial  help  to  the 
reader. 

LIVING  LIGHTS. 

A  POPULAR  ACCOUNT  OF  PHOSPHORESCENT 
ANIMALS  AND  VEGETABLES. 

With  27  Full-page  Illustrations,  $1.75. 

"  We  have  read  more  books  of  the  class  of  the  one  before  us  than  we  can  remember,  but  none  that  has  at. 
tracted  us  so  much  as  this  thick  little  quarto.  There  is  a  world  of  entertainment  in  Mr.  Holder's  book." — R.  H- 
Stoddard. 

"  A  very  curious  branch  of  natural  history  is  expounded  in  most  agreeable  style  by  this  delightful  book.  Mr. 
Holder  furnishes  a  great  mass  of  information  concerning  fire-flies,  luminous  beetles  and  other  insects,  the  phos- 
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world  of  new  wonders  to  those  who  are  inquisitive  about  certain  mysteries  of  great  interest,  concerning  which  no 
other  naturalist  has  written.'  — The  Philadelphia  Bulletin. 


MARVELS  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE. 


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"  Mr.  Holder  combines  his  descriptions  of  these  odd  crea- 
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in  many  parts  of  the  world.  These  are  told  with  much  spirit 
and  humor,  and  add  greatly  to  the  fascination  of  the  book." — 
The  Worcester  Spy. 


THE  IYORY  KING. 

A  POPULAR  HISTORY  OF  THE    ELEPHANT   AND 
ITS  ALLIES. 


With  24  Full-page  Illustrations, 


" The  author  also  talks  in  a  lively  and  pleasant  way  about 
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iphants,  of  the  elephant  in  war,  pageantry,  sports  and  games 

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Si.oo 


"  NOT  THERE,  NOT  THERE,  MY  CHILD 


Mr.  Eggleston  is  one  of  the  very  few  American  writers  who  have  succeeded  in  giving  to 
their  work  a  genuine  savor  of  the  soil,  a  distinctively  American  Character.  The  scene  of  his 
stories  is  the  Western  Reserve,  and  the  characters  are  types  of  the  early  part  of  this  century,  in 
the  territory  now  comprised  in  Indiana  and  Ohio.  The  Hoosier  School-boy  depicts  some  charac- 
teristics of  boy  life,  years  ago,  on  the  Ohio,  characteristics,  however,  that  were  not  peculiar  to  the 
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days  beset  the  path  of  the  youth  aspiring  for  an  education. 

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QUEER   STORIES   FOR   BOYS   AND    GIRLS. 

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DAB    KINZER.     A  Story  of  a  Growing  Boy.  SALTILLO     BOYS. 

THE  QUARTET.   a  segwito-Dabmnzer"      AMONG  THE  LAKES. 

WINTER  TON. 

BY  WILLIAM  O.  STODDARD. 


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the  best  specimens  of  '  Juveniles  '  produced  anywhere.  In  his  latest  volume,  '  Winter  Fun,'  Mr.  Stoddard  give* 
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making  maple  sugar,  and  leading  a  semi-wild  life  in  the  woods  and  fields  part  of  the  time.  They  are  good  boys 
too,  and  neglect  none  of  their  home  duties  while  furnishing  the  materials  for  this  entertaining  book.  Healthful 
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A  NEW   AND   REVISED    EDITION   OF 

THE  ILLUSTRATED 

LIBRARY    0F    W0NBERS 


THE  WONDERS  OF  MAN  AND  NATURE, 

Intelligence  of  Animals — Mountain  Adventures — Bodily  Strength  and  Skill — 'Wonderful  Escapes 
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pheric Phenomena. 


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n  Art— Wonders  of 
onders  of  Engraving. 


pean  Art — Wonders  of  Pompeii — Wonders  of  Architecture—  Thtt  Wonders  of  Italian  Art — The- 


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Ametican  who  has  passed  beyond  boyhood' s  stage  without  learning  the  story  of  his  country's 
.greatness." — The  Philadelphia  Times. 


THE   MAKING 

OF  THE  GREAT  WEST. 

1512-1853.     With  145  Illustrations  and  Maps. 
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The  volume  stands  between  the  larger  and  lesser  works 
.of  history,  and  appeals  to  old  as  well  as  young  students." 
—  The  New  York  Star. 


THE  MAKING 

OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

1580-1643.     With  148  Illustrations  and  Maps. 

One  volume,  121110,     -  $1.50. 

"Instead  of  being  a  brief  and  abstract  chronicle  of 
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weaknesses,  their  heroic  virtues  and  their  triumphs." — 
The  Philadelphia  Record. 


MY  K  A  LULU  :  Prince,  King,  and  Slave. 

A  Story  of  Central  Africa.  *By  Henry  M.  Stanley. 

One  vol.,  i2mo,  witli  many  Illustrations,  $1.50. 

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"It  is  a  really  bright,  readable  story,  and  conveys  quite  as  much  information  u 
to  Africa  as  can  be  found  in  any  formal  record  of  African  exploration." — The  New 
York  Graphic. 

"  The  book  may  be  read  by  older  boys  with  profit  and  instruction.  For,  apart 
from  the  vividly  dramatic  scenes  depicted,  Mr.  Stanley  has  collected  a  vast  amount  of 
useful  information  concerning  a  people  about  whom  the  general  public  are  pretty 
much  in  the  dark."— -The  Chicago  Inter-Ocean. 


White  Cockades. 

AN    INCIDENT    OF    THE    "FORTY-FIVE." 

BY  EDWAED  IEEN51US  STEVENSON. 


One  volume,  121110, 

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■time  that  of  Prince  Charles's  rebellion.  The  hero  is  a 
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hiding,  the  hunting  and  the  narrow  escapes  of  Lord 
Geoffrey  Armitage  from  the  spies  and  soldiers  of  the 
.King." — The  N.  Y.  Mail  and  Express. 


"  Exciting  and  absorbing  from  first  to  last." — The 
Washington  Capital. 

"The  history  of  that  exiled  Prince  has  always  been 
an  att'  active  theme,  and  no  writer  has  rendered  it 
more  retractive  than  Mr.  Stevenson,  with  vivid  descrip- 
tions of  persons  and  of  very  remarkable  incidents." — 
The  Interior. 


SCR/BNER'S  'BOOKS  FO%  THE  YOUNG. 


A  TALE  of  THE  INDIAN  MUTINY; 

OR,   THE  SERPENT-CHARMER. 
BY  LOUIS  ROUSSELET. 

TRANSLATED     FROM     THE     FRENCH     BY     MARY     DE     HAUTEVILLE. 
WITH  68  ENGRAVINGS  ON  WOOD  BT  A.  MARIE. 

New  Edition,  one  volume,  i2tno,  ....  $1.50. 

A  book  of  exciting  adventures,  the  scene  being  laid  in  India  during  the  Mutiny  of  1857, 
*nd  the  story  describing  the  fortunes  of  a  Franco-Indian  family. 

"The  book,  the  plot  of  which  appears  to  be 
founded  on  fact,  is  rather  a  boy's  book  than  a 
novel,  and  is  filled  with  an  uninterrupted  series  of 
wild  adventures,  told  in  an  agreeable  and  interest- 
ing way." — The  Nation. 

"Besides  the  interest  in  the  romance,  much  in- 
formation is  conveyed  concerning  Indian  manners 
and  customs,  as  well  as  delightful  descriptions  of 
the  wild  country  and  the  animals  that  abound 
there.  The  serpent-charmer  is  a  very  interesting 
character,  and  his  dangerous  pets,  with  the  won- 
derful power  he  possesses  over  them,  will  make  an 
impression  not  easily  effaced.  The  illustrations 
are  numerous  and  spirited." — The  Providence 
■Journal.  '  "*»« '«■■■• 


^IQ> 


WILD  MEN  AND  WILD  BEASTS; 

OR,  SCENES  IN  CAMP  AND  JUNGLE. 
BY    LIEUT.-COL.    GORDON    CUMMING. 

With  13  Spirited  Illustrations. 

Sew  Edition,  one  volume,  i2mo, ^7.50 

The  author  of  this  book  comes  of  a  family  famous  for  its  hunting 
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It  is  a  narrative,  having  an  auto-biographical  basis,  of  some  of  the 
most  marvellous  stories  of  adventure  ever  published.  Col.  Gordon 
spent  many  seasons  in  the  jungles  of  India,  chasing  and  killing  the 
tiger,  the  bear,  the  wild  boar  and  the  wild  bull.  His  accounts  of  his 
various  expeditions  are  records  of  bravery  and  endurance  seldom  paral- 
leled ;  and  the  tales  of  bloodshed  are  alleviated  by  pleasant  anecdote 
— the  humors  cf  the  camp  and  chase.  It  is  the  sort  of  a  book  to  stir 
the  bluod  in  the  veins  of  every  boy  who  reads  it.  The  titles  of  the 
illustrations  will  give  an  idea  of  the  character  of  the  book. 


THE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Tiger  disturbed  by  Vultures — Stalking:  a  Bull  Bison — Charge  of  Bull — Tiger  Shooting  at  Night 
ffrom  Platforms — Smoking  Out  a  Tiger — Riding  for  the  First  Spear — Buckley  Takes  a  Mud  Bath— 
The  Boar  Charges — Death  of  Boar — Native  Seized  by  Tiger — Attacked  by  a  Bear — Elephant 
•Charged  by  Tiger— The  Moonlight  Chase— Bunjarra  Attacked  by  a  Panther,  etc 


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A  Jolly  Fellowship. 

BY  FRANK  R.  STOCKTON. 


HANS    BRINKER; 

OR,    THE     SILVER     SKATES. 

A  Story  of  Life  in  Holland. 
BY  MRS.  MARY  MAPES  DODGE. 


The 


Boy  Emigrants. 

BY  NOAH  BROOKS. 


Phaeton  Rogers. 

BY  ROSSITER  JOHNSON. 


In  the  "Boy's  Library  of  Pluck  and  Action"  the  design  was  to  bring  together  the 
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repre- 
Th«> 


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JAPAN  IN  OUR  DAY. 

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CENTRAL  ASIA. 

THE  LAKE  REGION  OF  CENTRAL 
AFRICA. 

SIAM,  THE  LAND  OF  THE  WHITE- 
ELEPHANT. 

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by  later  ones  ;  and  finally,  a  condensation  of 
one  or  more  of  the  most  important  narratives  of  recent  travel,  accompanied  with  illustrations  of 
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"  The  Prince  of  Story  Tellers.'''1 — The  London  Times. 

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Michael  Strogoff ;  or,  The  Courier  of 
the  Czar $2. 

A  Floating  City  and  the  Blockade 
Runners 2. 

Hector  Servadac 2. 

Dick  Sands 2. 

A  Journey  to  the  Centre  of  the  Earth.   2 


From  the  Earth  to  the  Moon  Direct 

in  Ninety-seven  Hours,  Twenty 

.-    Minutes ;    and  a  Journey  Around 

it $2.00 

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The  Giant  Raft 2.00 

The  Mysterious  Island 2.50 


SCRIBNER'S  'BOOKS  FO%  THE  YOUNG. 


HANS  brinker; 

OR,  THE  SILVER  SKATES. 

A  Story  of  Life  in  Holland. 

By  MARY  MAPES  DODGE. 


One   volume,    i2mo,    with  sixty  beautiful   illus- 
trations, -  ..... 


ii.50. 


"  For  children,  what  could  be  better  as  a  gift  than  a  copy  of  Mrs.  Dodge'* 
'  Hans  Brinker;  or,  The  Silver  Skates  '  1  This  is  one  of  the  most  charming  of  juvenile 
stories,  dealing  with  fresh  scenes  and  a  strange  life,  and  told  with  sweet  simplicity  and 
great  beauty." — The  Congregationalist. 


RHYMES  AND  JINGLES. 

By  Mrs.  MARY  MAPES  DODGE, 

Editor  of  "St.  Nicholas." 

Profusely  illustrated. 

One  vol.,  121110.   New  edition,  $1.50 

Mrs.  Dodge's  "  Rhymes  and  Jingles  "  is  a  collection 
of  her  child's  poems — a  department  of  literature  in 
which  she  has  no  equal.  Some  of  these  poeris  have 
been  pronounced  "  without  rivals  in  our  language." 


PRINCE  PEERLESS. 

A    Fairy    Folk    Story    Book. 

By    MARGARET    COLLIER 

(Madame  Gelletti  Di  Cadilhac). 
^ILLUSTRATED      Br       JOHN      COLLIER. 

One  volume,  121110,       -        -        $1*25 

"More  admirable  and  fascinating  a  fairy  story  book 
we  have  not  lately  set  eyes  upon.  The  stories  are  most 
airily  conceived  and  most  gracefully  executed."—  The 
Hartford  Post. 


PHAETON  ROGERS. 

A    NOVEL    OF    BOY    LIFE. 

By  ROSSITER  JOHNSON. 

Illustrated. 

One  volume,  121110,        -         -         $1.50 

"  One  of  the  funniest,  liveliest  juvenile  stories  of  the 
year  is  *  Phaeton  Rogers,'  by  Rossiter  Johnson.  The 
writer  shows  as  much  ingenuity  in  inventing  comical 
adventures  and  situations  as  Phaeton  does  with  his 
kite-teams,  fire-ladders,  and  comets."—  The  Holyoke 
Transcript. 


THE  BOY  EMIGRANTS. 

By  NOAH  BROOKS. 

Illustrated. 


One  volume,  121110, 


$1.50 


"  It  is  one  of  the  best  boy's  stories  we  have  ever  read. 
There  is  nothing  morbid  or  unhealthy  about  it.  Hi* 
heroes  are  thorough  boys,  with  all  the  faults  of  their 
age." — '1  he  Christian  at  Work. 


THE  FAIRPORT  NINE. 


By  NOAH  BROOKS. 


One  volume,  121110, 


$x*aS 


"Asa  thoroughly  wholesome  and  delightful  book  fa* 
boys,  'The  Fairport  Nine'  is  not  likely  to  have  its 
superior  this  season." — The  N.  V.  Evening  Mail. 


ABOUT  OLD 

STORY  TELLERS. 

OF    HOW   AND   WHEN    THEY    LIVED,   AND   WHAT 
STORIES   THEY   TOLD. 

By  DONALD  G.  MITCHELL. 

With  numerous  Illustrations. 


One  volume,  i2mo, 


$1.25 


"  'About  Old  Story  Tellers  •  is  made  up  of  the  best  of 
the  old  stories,  gathered  from  all  sources,  re-told  in  Mr. 
Mitchell's  inimitable  manner,  and  interwoven  with  lively 
sketches  of  the  original  writers  and  the  times  in  which 
they  flourished."— The  New  Haven  Journal  and 
Courier. 


SCR/BNER'S  'BOOKS  FOT{  THE  YOUNG. 

STOCKTON'S  P0PtiL?AR  STORIES. 


"Stockton  has  the  knack,  perhaps  genius  would  be  a  better  word,  of  writing  in  the  easiest  of 
colloquial  English  without  descending  to  the  plane  of  the  vulgar  or  common-place.  The  very- 
perfection  of  his  work  hinders  the  reader  from  perceiving  at  once  how  good  of  its  kind  it  is.    *     * 

With  the  added  charm  of  a  most  delicate  humor — a  real  humor,  mellow,  tender,  and  informed  by 
a  singularly  quaint  and  racy  fancy — his  stories  become  irresistibly  attractive," — Philadelphia 

Times. 


THE  STORY  OF  V1TEAU. 

With  sixteen  full-page  illustrations  by  R.  B.  Birch. 
One  volume,  l2mo,  extra  cloth,         ...         $1.50 


A  JOLLY  FELLOWSHIP. 

One  volume,  i2mo,  illustrated,  extra  cloth, 


fl.£Q- 


NEW  EDITIONS  OF  OLD  FA  VORITES. 


THE    FLOATING    PRINCE, 
and  OTHER  FAIRY  TALES. 
With  illustrations  by  Bensell  and   others.     One  volume, 
quarto,  boards.     Price  reduced  to  $1.50. 


ROUNDABOUT  RAMBLES  IN  LANDS   OF 
FAST   AND   FICTION. 

One  volume,  quarto,  boards,  with  very  attractive  litho- 
graphed cover,  370  pages,  200  illustrations.  A  new- 
edition.     Price  reduced  from  $3.00  to         -        $1.50. 


Wm    TALES  OUT  OF  SCHOOL. 

One  volume,  quarto,  boards,  with  hand- 
some lithographed  cover,  350  pages, 
nearly  200  illustrations.  A  new  edition. 
Price  reduced  from  $3.00  to  $1.50. 


THE  TING-A-LING  TALES. 

Illustrated  by  E.  Bensell. 
One  volume,  i2mo,       -  %  1. 00. 


SCR/BNER'S  'BOOKS  FOT{  THE  YOUNG. 


he  American  Girl's  Handy  Book; 

OR,  HOW  TO  AMUSE  YOURSELF  AND  OTHERS. 


BY  LIMA  AND  ADELIA  B.  BEARD. 
"With  over  500  Illustrations  toy  the  Authors. 


One  volume,  square  8vo, 


$3.00. 


A  book  that  is  crammed  with  just  the  practical  information  that  girls  want  about  their 
amusements  and  work,  both  in  and  out  of  doors,  through  all  the  seasons  of  the  year,  profusely- 
illustrated  by  helpful  designs. 


LOUISA  M.  ALCOTT  WROTE: 
"  I  have  put  it  in  my  list  of  good  and  useful  books 
foryoung  people,  as  I  have  many  requests  for  advice 
from  my  little  friends  and  their  anxious  mothers.  I 
am  most  happy  to  commend  your  very  ingenious  and 
entertaining  book." 

"  This  is  the  best  book  0/  its  kind  ever  published. 


GIRL  PAINTING. 


GRACE  GREENWOOD  WROTE: 
"It  is  a  treasure  which,  once  possessed,  no  prac- 
tical girl  would  willingly  part  with.  It  is  an  invaluable 
aid  in  making  a  home  attractive,  comfortable,  artistic 
and  refined.  The  book  preaches  the  gospel  of  cheer- 
fulness, industry,  economy  and  comfort." 
These  are  a  few  of  its  good  points:  The  games  are 
refined;  the  various  holiday  celebrations 
are  bright,  novel  and  appropriate  ;  the 
articles  to  be  made  are  of  materials 
inexpensive  and  within  easy  reach  ;  the 
directions  are  in  every  case  clear  and 
explicit,  and  usually  accompanied  by 
illustrations  of  each  stage  of  the  work  ; 
the  suggestions  are  original  and  thor- 
oughly practical ;  the  pictures  are  beau- 
tifully drawn,  the  initials  and  tail- pieces 
forming  a  collection  of  artistic  conceits. 
American  girls  are  to  be  congratulated 
that  such  a  book  has  been  prepared  for 
them." — The  Chautauguan. 


THE  AMERICAN  BOY'S  HANDY  BOOK; 

OR,  WHAT  TO  DO  AND  HOW  TO  DO  IT. 
BY  DANIEL  C.  BEARD. 

With  over  300  Illustrations  by  the  Author. 

One  volume,  square  8vo,         .... 

"It  is  an  excellent  publication,  and  is  heartily  recommended 
to  parents." — The  Brooklyn  Eagle. 

41  The  book  has  this  great  advantage  over  its  predecessors, 
that  most  of  the  games,  tricks,  and  other  amusements  described 
in  it  are  new.  It  treats  of  sports  adapted  to  all  seasons  of  the 
year  ;  it  is  practical,  and  it  is  well  illustrated." — The  New  York 
Tribune. 

"  It  tells  boys  how  to  make  all  kinds  of  things — boats,  traps, 
toys,  puzzles,  aquariums,  fishing  tackle  ;  how  to  tie  knots,  splice 
ropes,  to  make  bird  calls,  sleds,  blow-guns,  balloons  ;  how  to  rear 
wild  birds,  to  train  dogs,  and  do  the  thousand  and  one  things 
that  boys  take  delight  in.  The  book  is  illustrated  in  such  a  way 
that  no  mistake  can  be  made  ;  and  the  boy  who  gets  a  copy  of 
this  book  will  consider  himself  set  up  in  business."—  The 
Indianapolis  Journal. 


